Darcy's love?
by Bodacious Bovine
Summary: Modernized gender reversal, Darcy's a hardcore feminist unwilling to fall in love or allow a relationship to get in the way of her career, will Lewis Bennet be able to convince her otherwise? on hiatus for a bit
1. Picnic in the Park

Pride and Prejudice

A/N: I know the idea of gender switching isn't very original, but I just wanted to have some fun. Hopefully it'll turn out ok…

A/N: updated for some grammar:)

Disclaimer: don't really know if it's needed or not since this story is public domain, but just in case... I don't own anything.

Chapter 1

* * *

"Hey, Lewis! How's it going?" asked a tall young man with bright blonde hair, deep blue eyes and a light tan. He was wearing blue jeans and a polo shirt as he strode over to where the bookstore's manager stood correcting an employee.

"Hello, James! I'm just helping a new employee figure out what's what," Lewis smiled as he tugged his older brother into a hug. Lewis was almost as tall as James; he always joked about it, and told people he was 5'12" as opposed to 6'0". He had short, messy brown hair with dark brown eyes. He wasn't your picture perfect model, like James, but he was extremely handsome as well, and he had his pick of the girls. "I haven't seen you for a couple of days, nursing keeping you busy?"

"Yeah, but that's not all," James was grinning in a mischievous way that Lewis wasn't quite sure he was comfortable with. "I have been actively involved in a sort of party that you're invited to, you wanna come?"

"Is it a beer pong party or a black tie affair?" Lewis was extremely hesitant about going to parties. He had had his fun in high school and some in college, but parties weren't really his thing. He didn't mind socializing with people, he actually quite enjoyed it, but people didn't necessarily go to parties to socialize as much as they did to get drunk and/or have sex. Neither of which was high on his list of priorities. He didn't really care for black tie affairs either, the people were often too stuffy and the clothes made it hard to relax and have any fun.

"Neither, this is a family style rib-off hosted by my hospital, in one of the picnic areas in Central Park. Our whole family is invited really, I just thought I'd give the news to you first. It's a great way to have fun with old friends, like the Lucases, meet some random new acquaintances, eat lots of good ribs from all of the restaurants competing…" James looked eager and excited about going. Lewis had perked up when he heard about the Lucases going. He was good friends with their son, Chris.

"Alright, count me in. It sounds like it might not be too bad." Lewis was starting to look forward to it almost as much as James was.

* * *

"Remind me precisely why I am going to this _rib-off_ again?" Whitney Darcy spat the word with utter disdain.

"Because you spend far too much time working and not enough time just playing and having fun," replied her good friend, Chelsea Bingley. Chelsea was a career woman as well, but she didn't spend every waking hour obsessing over her job. And to be fair, Whitney didn't either, but she _did_ spend an inordinate amount of time working. Chelsea was getting concerned for her friend because she hadn't seen her over the past few weeks after they had moved here from Chicago. Chelsea had heard about the charity event through her work, she was an administrator in health care, and she had decided that Whitney was way past due for some fun with friends. "Besides this is a charity event, the money donated will go to the local children's hospital. It'll be good for the community if you go."

"I don't see why I can't just write them a check and be done with it. You know how much I detest social affairs. My time could be much better spent at the office," Whitney was a young and rising power player in the major publishing corporation of Darcy and DeBourgh. Her mother and her aunt had cofounded the company and risen to fame and fortune within two decades of its inception. It was now even more renowned than Random House and Simon and Schuster. She dedicated her life to her work and she loved what she did. She would often get stressed out, but in the end she still enjoyed coming up with ideas, meeting with clientele, and the challenge that it was to climb the ranks while being a woman.

"Because you want to spend more time with me and deepen our friendship while relaxing and perhaps meeting some new friends as well. You also want to do this because if you don't, I'll give your cell phone number to my brother, Linus, who's been hounding you for a date these past ten years," Chelsea smiled when she saw the look of disgust that passed on Whitney's face when her brother was mentioned. Linus was extremely handsome, rich, and intelligent, but he was also an extremely arrogant and annoying prick who Whitney just couldn't stand. He was also going to meet them at the party, but Chelsea couldn't quite bring herself to tell Whitney that just yet…

"Ahhh, that's the reason I came, _blackmail_, and from my _best friend_ too," Darcy replied with slight venom in her voice.

"Bah! Cheer up and stop your whining, who knows? Maybe you'll even, dare I say, _enjoy_ it?" Chelsea teased as she tried to get her good friend to lighten up a bit.

"Alright, alright, but if you try to set me up with some random guy again, I'm never doing this again. Even if it means putting up with your brother for the rest of my life, got it?" Whitney was smiling now though and Chelsea knew that she just teasing her back… well, mostly anyway. "I don't exactly see why you're so obsessed with me finding a guy anyway. It's not like they're all that great."

"So what, you want to be alone all your life?" Chelsea asked pointedly.

"I'm not alone now. I have you, my close friends, occasionally my coworkers, and my family whom I love dearly. I have no need for a man to make me happy. Besides, a man would merely get in the way." Darcy looked nonchalant and bored as she answered her friend. They had had this conversation a few times before.

"Not necessarily, what if he's an extremely qualified business man who's just as smart and as good as you are?" Chelsea knew her friend's standpoint well, but she could never stop herself from at least trying to get Whitney to be less cynical.

"That would be hard to find, but I concede your point, that man may not get in the way, but he would still require a lot of time and effort that I would much rather place on my work. Besides, I could never satisfy a man fully because I am an independent woman who refuses to rely on anyone. Men are always looking to be the dominant party in the relationship, whether or not they are dominant over your wages or over your heart, they always want you to depend on them for something. They want to believe that we women could not possibly live or be happy and whole without them. They have to find some way to rule over us after all. And if they aren't, they are most often fools with no mind of their own."

"You sound more like a bitter old crone than a vibrant young 27 year old woman. Some men most definitely want an equal relationship with their wives. They like women who will challenge them to become better and can stand up to them and speak their mind. Besides you've never even had a boyfriend, so where do you get off on preaching to me about boys?" Chelsea was amazed at how vehement her friend could be on a subject she should know very little about.

"Well pardon me Miss Fall in Love Every Week With a New Man, but my coworkers have told me enough stories of how they were cheated on by their husbands or boyfriends merely because the man wanted a woman he was more 'comfortable' with, i.e. a Stepford Wife. And yes, some men will opt for an equal relationship, but have you ever heard of any man who would accept a relationship where the woman was in a position of power, without feeling emasculated? Men need power, they thrive on it. They are far too insecure to allow the woman to have any advantage."

"I don't believe you, Darcy. Not all men are like that and you know it. I believe that you are perfectly capable of entering into a mutually beneficial relationship with someone and I believe that there is a man out there who won't put up with this nonsense and prove you wrong. I think you'll both need each other."

"Ha! If there is such a miracle man I would probably scare him off before he even got within ten feet of me. You know how atrocious my social skills are." Darcy was teasing her now and not being entirely serious. "Men need us to need them, and you know I'll never stand for such nonsense."

"Whitney, people are not meant to live alone. We are built to need each other to survive,"

"We already went over this I'm not alone, I have you." Darcy's face was so kind and sincere that Chelsea was truly touched. It was very rare for Darcy to ever show any emotion at all, and Chelsea treasured their friendship just as much as Darcy.

"What will happen when I get married? You won't be able to spend near as much time with me then." Chelsea asked this as much to make a point as out she did out of curiosity.

"I'll work, and I have other friends and family too, ya know." Darcy's voice had lost the softness and had returned to normal. Her face was, once again, an unreadable mask.

"I still believe that one day you are going to fall for a man so hard that you will be willing and capable of laying down your great pride to admit that your life would be much better off with him than without him." They arrived at the party before any more could be said on the subject. Chelsea knew that Whitney was a strong, capable, and independent woman who could very easily find happiness while remaining single. In fact, she knew that she already had, but Chelsea also knew that she had a great potential to love others and she thought it would be a total waste for her not to share it intimately with another person. She just wished that a person tough enough to break down even Darcy's barriers would show up soon. She hoped that he would show Whitney that love could equal happiness instead of the pain and frustration that she appeared to believe it to be.

* * *

"Here it is, parking for the event is on the left," James pointed it out to his father, who was driving the van full of Bennet boys and his wife to the party.

All seven of them piled out of the van and helped their mom carry the food she had gotten together to help feed the people at the event. The restaurants would be providing the main course but volunteers would be bringing fruits, salads, desserts, and whatever snacks they were willing to contribute. It was the first time the hospital had ever done anything like this, and if this year's event was a success, it would probably become an annual thing. The money would go toward children who had cancer but didn't have enough coverage to pay for it all, and it would also go towards research for cures. The restaurants had a chance to advertise and win notoriety as well.

Lyle and Kent, the two youngest, went off in a hopeful search for girls and booze as soon as they put down their load of food. They were both eighteen, but they already had a major penchant for any kind of liquor they could get their hands on. They were empty headed, but mostly harmless. Mark, the middle child, brought out a book to read and blatantly ignored everything and everyone else around him, while James and Lewis went to talk and greet their friends. Chris Lucas had arrived a few minutes earlier and as soon as he and Lewis saw each other they rapidly got together and started talking about everything important that had happened since they got together last week.

James went over to talk to his friends from work, when his friend, Dr. Bruss, introduced him to the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. She had long flowing red hair and bright blue eyes that lit up when she smiled. She was wearing a dark blue satin blouse that hung loosely over her delicate frame and complimented her eyes, with tight black jeans. She was about 5'9" and her pretty black high heels made her legs look even longer. "This is my good friend Miss Chelsea Bingley. I often work with her company when we file insurance claims. Miss Bingley, may I introduce my good friend and one of the best nurses at our hospital, Mr. James Bennet."

Chelsea looked at him in relative awe for a couple of seconds, taking in his thick blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Even in a t-shirt and jeans this man was a beauty. "It's a real pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bennet," she practically gushed as she shook his hand.

"The pleasure's all mine Miss Bingley," James returned, being a little more eager than necessary to shake her hand. The two of them hit it off right away and Dr. Bruss let them be. He had known his coworker for quite some time, and he had never seen him that excited to be introduced to anyone. James and Chelsea had been talking excitedly for about 15 minutes time when Chelsea looked up and saw Whitney quietly drinking the iced tea that had been served and studiously avoiding almost everyone.

"James," they were already easily on a first name basis and very comfortable with each other, "I would like to introduce you to my best friend," Chelsea walked him over to where Whitney was standing and said, "Whitney, I want you to meet this young man I just met, his name is James Bennet. He's very sweet and I think you'll like him. James, this is my best friend in the whole world, Miss Whitney Darcy."

"It's very nice to meet you Mr. Bennet," Whitney tried her best to put a smile on her face that didn't look forced or pained.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well Miss Darcy," James replied. His sweet disposition and trusting nature allowed him to believe that her pathetic attempt at warmth was real and his return smile was as genuine as hers was not. Whitney soon relaxed a little bit around him though, after she saw that he seemed to be a genuinely kind and thoughtful person.

* * *

Lewis was thoroughly enjoying himself while talking to Chris about his shop and what books were soon coming in, when James came by and interrupted him. "Lewis, you have to come meet Chelsea. I just know you'll love her, and she's got a nice friend who I think you'll like too. She seems a bit quiet, but once she gets to know us, Chelsea says she's really fun. Come on," James practically pulled Lewis' arm out of his socket as he led him back to the two girls. Lewis hadn't seen his brother this excited in a long time. To any other person, he may have merely looked like he was just having a good day, but telltale signs, like how he had yanked his brother's arm and how he was walking a little bit faster than normal, told Lewis that he was genuinely interested in this Chelsea girl.

As soon as Lewis saw her, he prayed that she was the friend and not the girl his brother wanted. Her long dark brown hair fell over shoulders in gentle waves, and her eyes were a beautiful rich brown shade that reminded him of dark chocolate. She was wearing a black long sleeve top, with sleeves that were fitted to her shoulders and the top half to her bust, but hung loose at her hands and her waist. It was almost long enough to be a short dress. She had on long black dress pants that were tight enough to show her form, but loose enough to leave a little to the imagination. She had a small black purse with a thin shoulder strap hanging near her elbow. Her elegant wrist was graced with a watch on a thin gold chain and a gold necklace with a black teardrop pendant hung from her neck. The red-head was pretty too, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the brunette beauty before him. She was a bit overdressed for the occasion, but it didn't seem like it bothered her all that much.

She had been engaged in conversation with her friend and had not noticed his very obvious staring, for which he was grateful. He was rather startled when he saw a random tall man with the same red hair color as the brunette's friend come up and try to put his arm around her. She lightly pushed him away and he could just barely hear the stern tone she reprimanded him with, which gave him hope. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when his brother introduced her as Chelsea's friend, and as a _Miss_ Darcy. The man was apparently Bingley's brother Linus, and he could tell by watching them interact that Linus had no chance.

After the introductions were over, Chelsea said she wished to introduce James and Linus to a few other friends of hers. She winked at Lewis as she left and guided James and a disappointed Linus away. Lewis was grateful to her at first, but when about thirty seconds went by and neither had said a word to each other, he started to feel a little uncomfortable. "So… what do you do for a living?" he asked, trying desperately to kill the awkward silence.

"I work for a publishing company, and you?" she was trying hard to figure out some way to leave him while at the same time remaining relatively polite.

"I manage a bookstore. My brother will even come in and help out some-" Miss Darcy's phone immediately started to ring, and she pulled it out from her purse.

"I'm really sorry, but this is a call from work and I have to take it," though from the way she said it, he could tell she was more relieved than sorry.

_Geez,_ he thought, _what a rude bitch._ He was slightly pissed off, but he thought that maybe she was just having a bad day. He might give her another chance…

* * *

As Darcy hung up her cell phone, she took a deep breath and felt herself relax. She had walked towards the outskirts of the party and had found an unoccupied bench. She just sat there and enjoyed the cool breeze lilting through the park. She always felt at peace when she was alone, it gave her time to just breathe and think. She was able to sift through her problems and find answers she hadn't looked for previously. She loved solitude almost as much as she loved her dear friends.

After a while Chelsea came up to see her and sat down next to her. "I was wondering where you ran off to," Chelsea sat next to her friend and temporarily slid out of her high heels. "Why don't you come back and mingle, instead of stupidly sitting around like this?"

"You know how much I hate talking to strangers, besides I don't really see anyone here worth talking to," Darcy replied as she scanned the crowd. By this time there were about a thousand people milling about and socializing. It had been a major success.

"You're kidding me! I've met plenty of nice people and some very fine looking men too, I might add," Chelsea winked suggestively at her friend, but Darcy would have none of it.

"You were talking to the only handsome man here," Darcy said teasingly as she looked at Chelsea.

"Tell me about it, he's easily one of the handsomest and kindest men I've ever met!" Chelsea squealed with joy. "But his brother, that he introduced, was a fine looking man too, right Darcy?"

"He's tolerable I suppose, but he seemed like such a bore that I had to pretend a solicitor's call was from work just to get away," Darcy shrugged as she replied.

"Darcy! I can't believe you! That was so mean. You probably didn't even give the poor fellow a chance, did you?" Chelsea was shocked and a little angry that her friend could be so cold sometimes.

"Chelsea, you already knew I was not a socialite before you came here. You are wasting your time with me. You should probably get back to your friend and enjoy his smiles while they last, right?" Darcy felt a little bad that she had disappointed her friend. After all, Chelsea just wanted her to get out and meet people, but she was so happy with the friends that she already had, she really didn't see much need to strive for new ones. Chelsea walked away in a huff and tried her best to enjoy the rest of the day, but she was genuinely concerned about Darcy and her apparent obsession with introversion.

* * *

Chris Lucas and Lewis had been walking around the party visiting with people and having a good time for a while, when they decided to walk away for a breather of fresh air. They had been walking in companionable silence for a few minutes when they heard voices up ahead. Lewis saw the agreeable Miss Bingley sitting down next to her friend on a bench facing away from them. She was asking her a question of some sort, and as they came closer, he clearly heard Darcy say, "You know how much I hate talking to strangers, besides I don't really see anyone here worth talking to." Lewis was slightly shocked and more than a bit affronted at her assault on his friends and family.

"You're kidding me! I've met plenty of nice people and some very fine looking men too, I might add," as Chelsea winked, Lewis smiled a bit as he realized how much he liked the woman.

"You were talking to the only handsome man here," _At least she's not completely blind,_ Lewis thought.

"Tell me about it, he's easily one of the handsomest and kindest men I've ever met!" Chelsea squealed with joy. "But his brother that he introduced was a fine looking man too, right Darcy?" At this, Lewis grinned and waited for her reply.

"He's tolerable I suppose, but he seemed like such a bore that I had to pretend a solicitor's call was from work just to get away."_Okay, now I'm officially pissed off._ Chris looked over to see his friend pale with anger and he laid a gentle hand on his arm. They had both stopped moving by now.

"Darcy! I can't believe you! That was so mean. You probably didn't even give the poor fellow a chance, did you?" Lewis felt a little better that he was being so kindly defended, but he was definitely over any infatuation he had had with Miss Darcy. He couldn't believe the ugly words that were coming from those beautiful lips…

"Chelsea, you already knew I was not a socialite before you came here. You are wasting your time with me. You should probably get back to your friend and enjoy his smiles while they last, right?" As Chelsea stalked off, Lewis walked up behind Darcy and said "Come on Chris, let's go. I wouldn't want to bore anyone else."

Darcy turned around and looked him in the eye, "Sorry, did I wound your pride?" her voice was biting in its blatant sarcasm. She didn't even seem surprised that he'd been listening.

"Hardly, come on Chris." Lewis walked away so frustrated he couldn't help clenching and unclenching his fists a few times.

* * *

A/N:Please Review:) Constructive criticism appreciated.


	2. Ill Health and Romance?

Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Public domain, but still: I own nothing.

* * *

"Hello? Is this Lewis?" A tentative feminine voice, that he didn't recognize, asked over the phone.

"Yes, who is this?" Lewis was curious, because on his caller ID, it had said that this was his brother's cell phone.

"This is Chelsea Bingley. I just wanted to tell you that James will be staying over at my place tonight. There's nothing much to worry about, the doctor came over and said he was fine, but that he probably shouldn't be up and about for the next 3-4 days if possible."

"Woah, woah, wait a minute! What the hell happened?" Lewis was in shock. The last time he checked, his brother had been in good health.

"He came over to my place for lunch, and afterwards said he wasn't feeling well. He threw up an hour later and he's come down with a fever. The doctor prescribed some antiviral meds and said this should all be over in the next couple of days. We caught it early enough that the meds will work to their optimum ability. He should be absolutely fine."

"My god, are you serious? He's absolutely fine? Are you sure?" Lewis was extremely worried, James hardly ever got sick. He ran around his apartment getting dressed while trying to get an overnight bag together at the same time. He had been out running and had just gotten out of the shower when he got the call. He pulled on an old t-shirt and some ratty jeans as quickly as he could. "Do you mind if I come over and check on him?"

"Of course you can, he told me to tell you not to worry and that he'll be fine, but I had a feeling you would like to be the judge of that yourself." Chelsea was actually kind of relieved that he would be coming over. She knew that James would be just fine, but she felt that he might be more comfortable if someone he knew well was there with him. Chelsea was also secretly happy that James had stayed at her house, not that he'd gotten sick of course, but any excuse for him to be near her was good for her. She relayed her address and general instructions on how to get to her apartment on East 57th Street near Sutton Place over the phone. He quickly hailed a cab and was on his way.

* * *

He arrived around 7:00 p.m. and found Whitney, Linus, and Chelsea eating dinner with two other people he didn't recognize. Chelsea immediately got up and walked over to him, but he couldn't help noticing that Whitney was looking at him as well. He looked her in the eye to prove that he didn't care what she thought of him and turned around to follow Chelsea. She was too busy filling him in on the details of James' illness that she didn't notice the look that had passed between the two. "It seems he's come down with the flu. There's not much we can do except make him as comfortable as possible until the worst is over, unfortunately. We've already contacted his work, even though it's Saturday, and let them know the details. We figured the earlier they knew the better. He won't be expected until he's made a full recovery."

Lewis couldn't bring himself to say much, he was kind of in awe. The apartment was definitely made for those with enough wealth to enjoy it. It had rich, beautifully detailed, hardwood flooring, and granite countertops in the kitchen with stainless steel appliances. He could tell it was newly renovated because everything looked like it could have been bought just yesterday. He was almost afraid to touch anything. The windows gave him a beautiful view of the city and he could even see the river. He also noticed that there were bookshelves in almost every room. Books of all sorts adorned them, and he would have loved to look at them, but he was too preoccupied by his brother's illness to do so now. He was led down a hall to where his brother's bedroom was. As he walked in James looked up and smiled. Chelsea stayed long enough to wish him well again and left the two brothers alone for the time being.

* * *

As she returned to the dining area, she heard Linus bashing Lewis' choice of clothing and messy appearance. She sighed and rolled her eyes, her brother could be such a pain in the ass sometimes. The couple that Lewis had not recognized was her older brother, Steve and his wife, Larissa. Steve was a quiet guy and he really didn't care for conversation, so he stayed out of the discussion. His wife Larissa was as much of a talker as Linus was though, and she happily joined in on the Lewis bashing. Chelsea noticed that Whitney stayed a little quieter than usual and merely nodded or gave monosyllabic answers in response to anything said to her. Not that she was ever overtly talkative, but usually in the company of friends and family, she would at least open up a bit more.

"How's James? Is he feeling any better?" Whitney asked as Chelsea walked through the door. Since this was the longest string of words she'd put together that night, the others quieted down and looked to Chelsea for the answer.

"He's not better yet, but the medicine should kick in enough tonight to let him sleep," Chelsea knew that the others had merely listened out of politeness, but Whitney had seemed genuinely concerned. She and James got along rather well, despite her earlier rudeness towards his brother. When Whitney had seen Lewis come in earlier, she had also noticed that he actually looked really good, even in an old T-shirt and jeans and with his hair dripping, from, she assumed, a shower recently taken. When he looked her in the eye, she noticed that he had intense and beautiful dark brown eyes that she couldn't seem to look away from. Still, she had seen plenty of fine looking men with pretty eyes in the past, so this one couldn't be that different, right?

* * *

As soon as Lewis saw James start to breathe deeply and evenly, he decided he should at least try to be polite. James had tried to convince him, before falling off into dreamland, that the company really wasn't that bad. They had treated him kindly enough, after all. James wanted to try to get to know them, if only for his brother's sake. He knew James would be disappointed in him if he stayed holed up in his brother's room all night.

As he entered the dining room he saw that four of them had sat down to play a game of poker. Apparently, they didn't often spend many nights watching TV. _Maybe it's too vulgar and commonplace for these blue-bloods._ Whitney, the only person not playing, had settled into a chair, near enough to the table to occasionally watch the game's progress, but mainly occupied with a book. Chelsea saw him enter and immediately invited him to join them. He politely declined, claiming his brother as the excuse. "I'll just go get a book to read while you guys play."

"You sound like Whitney, she always does that," Chelsea looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eye as she said, "You two seem to have a lot in common."

"You know the reason I don't play is because I can and will count the cards," Whitney replied as she looked up from her book, "It would hardly be fair for me to compete against you guys."

"Aye, she actually got kicked out of a casino a couple of years ago because of her tactics," Chelsea told him as she smiled at her friend. Lewis was surprised; he had never imagined Whitney to be the type to do anything like that.

"Do you have to tell _everyone_ we meet that story?" Whitney wasn't really mad and Chelsea knew it.

"Yes, because I love to watch their reactions when they hear about the straight-laced Miss Darcy getting kicked out of a casino. The fact that you have even entered one seems to surprise people almost as much as the fact that you were kicked out," Chelsea smiled and beckoned for Lewis to sit down in the chair next to her after he had picked out a play entitled _Mrs. Warren's Profession _by Bernard Shaw. He had read it before and found it quite amusing; Shaw's wit and intelligence always delighted him. It was short enough that he felt he could probably finish it by the end of the night as well.

"Do you like Shaw?" asked Whitney when she noticed what he was reading.

"Yes, he was far ahead of his time and I have always appreciated his defense of the poor and underprivileged. His attacks on social hypocrisy are also a favorite of mine," Lewis replied as he looked up. _So, now the great and effervescent Miss Darcy has deigned to speak with such a lowly soul as myself, I'm so grateful._

"I agree, and I absolutely love Vivie, she's one of my favorite literary characters of all time," Whitney was genuine in her praise of the work and happy to find somebody who liked Shaw as much as she did. It was a rather rare thing.

"She's alright I suppose, but, I always feel bad for her because she gives up love and beauty for mathematical figures and independence. In reality, it's a rather sad ending, for her." Lewis was watching Whitney's face for any sign of a reaction but to him she looked as cold and indifferent as ever. But Chelsea, who had known Whitney for most of her life, was slightly surprised when she looked at her friend and saw that her eyes had brightened and the corners of her mouth were turned upwards in the slightest of smiles. She seemed to really enjoy what she was talking about.

"That's what I love about her. She's not willing to give into Frank's disgusting wiles or allow Crofts to manipulate her. She even refused to depend on her mother's money and determined to make an honest living on her own, even though it was a difficult thing for a woman to do back then. Of course I also love Mrs. Warren; she's an excellent invention as well. I really appreciate Shaw for daring to make his women so independent. It wasn't exactly a popular theme back then," Whitney didn't notice the rest of the table staring at her. They had been trying to pry words from her lips the entire evening, but when this unkempt young man happened to pick up a book she recognized, she couldn't seem to keep her mouth shut.

"Why would you like Mrs. Warren? She uses young women for her own profit and takes advantage of them even after she has gained financial independence and doesn't need to do so any longer." Lewis also didn't notice the silence of the table, the only thing he was cognizant of was Miss Darcy.

"Because, she fought for a better life, even if it meant not taking the 'honest,' or in other words the completely horrid and damning, option that could have literally killed her and her sister. I fully realize, of course, the irony in her gaining her independence through a lifestyle that encourages the oppression of women, but she did her duty as a parent by providing Vivie with a stable home, a good education, and keeping her out of her sordid affairs. Mrs. Warren also genuinely thought she was helping those young prostitutes to become independent, and did not fully realize her exploitation of them until it was pointed out to her by Vivie." Whitney had not discussed plays at length with anyone for such a long time that she completely forgot there was anyone else in the room.

"So, you mean to tell me that it was completely acceptable for her to throw all morality to the winds and do whatever necessary to become independent, so long as she didn't corrupt her child?" Lewis was beginning to enjoy this as much as she did, though he would never admit it.

"Her morality is not the one you should be criticizing; instead, you should criticize the morality of the society that forced her to take those measures to survive," At this point, the card game was silently continued, as the rest of the table stopped trying to follow their conversation. No one could really join in it because no one else there had ever even heard of Bernard Shaw, except for Chelsea. But, she only knew of him because Whitney talked about him all the time.

"Ahh, so you're saying that immoral acts are to be blamed on society as opposed to the person who committed them? Shouldn't we just release all criminals then and instead imprison all the members of government? After all, if society is to blame for their acts and government is the head of society, it would then follow logic to imprison all people in power."

"This is not necessarily the case. Although back then, and in this example I would actually agree with you, but her 'immoral' acts did more good than harm for both her sister and for her daughter, so much so that I wonder if you could even call them 'immoral' though, it depends on your beliefs I suppose. This discussion could easily lead to a debate on consequentialist ethics versus Kantian and/or even Christian ethics. After all, if you're a Utilitarian-" and so the debate continued for hours, even long after Linus, Chelsea, Steve and Larissa packed up the cards and went to bed. The two were so absorbed in their debate, they didn't even really notice or take heed of the others leaving.

Both of them stayed up long into the night, until Lewis yawned as he was outlining the finer points of ethical egoism. Whitney glanced, out of habit, at her watch and noticed it was about 3:00 a.m. Her jaw dropped and she swore as she immediately got up and rinsed out her coffee cup, she stopped her frantic rush when she remembered today was Saturday and that she didn't necessarily _have_ to go into work tomorrow morning. She had planned on going to work on a project that she probably didn't really need to even start on yet, but that could always be done in the afternoon. "I just remembered I _don't_ have to work tomorrow," she looked so sheepish, Lewis looked up at her and laughed. It was around the time of night when people get slap-happy just because they're sleep deprived and he couldn't help it. Here he was debating with a woman he was supposed to hate, all the deep mysteries of life into the wee hours of the morning, and he was actually enjoying himself.

Whitney bid him a hasty good night, and he noticed as she did that her cheeks were slightly flushed. Whether it was from embarrassment or something else, he couldn't really tell. When Whitney went to bed, she couldn't get those dark brown eyes out of her head. She pushed away any thoughts of attraction and told herself that the way her heart had fluttered when he laughed, was just embarrassment at her mistake.

When Lewis went his brother's room, where he had set up a sleeping bag, he couldn't help but think about her. _I can't believe Whit- no Miss Darcy- gosh, have I really gotten so familiar with her?- was so interesting to talk to. Hmm…Then again, she was probably just faking interest in what I was saying so she could try and find a fault with me. Then she'll probably go and complain about my uncouth and/or boring ideas to her friends later...Bitch. _

* * *

The next day, James' dad and three younger brothers came to visit. After Mr. Bennet had found his son to be in no immediate danger, he told his son to take his time in recovering, so that he might be able to stay at Miss Bingley's apartment for quite a bit longer. He wanted his grandchildren soon after all. James merely nodded in a good-natured way, too used to his father by now to be bothered by such things. The Bennets were then invited into the dining room for some coffee which was graciously accepted by Mr. Bennet. When asked of the condition of his son, he stated, "I do believe he is far too ill to be removed from here. I am very grateful for your keeping him here, and would not wish to impose on your good graces, but I do not believe he is in any state to be moved about."

"Moved! Of course not! We wouldn't dream of forcing him to leave. My brother, I am sure wouldn't even hear of such a thing," Chelsea looked at her brother with such pleading eyes that he immediately nodded his consent.

"James will be taken care of and every necessity of his will be watched out for while he is here, you may count on it," he said it with a rather cold and indifferent tone, but it was completely lost on Mr. Bennet who thanked him profusely.

Lewis then asked his father if he'd seen Chris Lucas at all since the party, "Oh, yes, he came by just the other day. A fine young man he is, though I must say he's a rather plain sort of fellow. A pity it is too. Of course I'm not one to brag, but my James has always been a handsome lad. One can hardly find another man better looking," he looked at Chelsea as he said it, as if to emphasize a point, "Once, he had a girl so in love with him that I was sure they were going to get married. Oh well, she did write him some very pretty poetry though-"

"And that put an end to it," interrupted Lewis as he tried to prevent his father from embarrassing them more. "I wonder who it was that found out how effectively poetry ends love."

"I always thought that people claimed poetry was the food of love," Whitney said with an inquiring look on her face.

"Of a strong and hearty love, perhaps, but if it is a thin and unsure thing, I am convinced one stanza will kill it," he expected Miss Darcy to come back with some sort of retort or at least a response, but she just politely smiled and nodded.

Before the awkward silence could get any worse, Mr. Bennet thanked the Bingleys once more and started to head out the door. The two youngest brothers had other ideas. Lyle sidled up to Chelsea and asked her if she was going to hold a party sometime, to celebrate their new arrival to New York. Chelsea immediately replied in the affirmative and said it sounded like a great idea. "After James gets well, just tell me the date," she smiled as she waved them out the door. As soon as they left, Lewis went back to take care of his brother and left the degrading of his family's behavior up to the snobby group. But as Linus, Steve, and Larissa turned their attention to Lewis, Whitney remained silent and refused to say a word.

* * *

As Monday came, Lewis called into work and told his employees he couldn't come in today, he had been ahead in his work and this was the first time in two years that he took an unplanned personal day, so he didn't feel too bad about it. Everyone else had already left for work by the time James woke up and Lewis tended him with good care. The days had passed by slowly but he had found that the group of people who lived here were perhaps _slightly_ more _tolerable_ than they first appeared. James was able to finally join them for dinner and conversation afterwards. The entire place almost visibly lit up, and Linus, Steve, and Larissa almost became pleasant to be around. Chelsea was overjoyed and spent the entire dinner wrapped up in conversation with him. Those two didn't seem to even notice that the others existed once the "glad you're feeling better"s were over.

As the group gathered after dinner that night, Whitney finally came in around 9:00 p.m. She had told them to eat without her since her coworker had taken her out to dinner. She immediately pulled out her laptop and started typing up an email to her brother, whom she hadn't seen for months, apparently. She then picked up a book lying nearby, sat down on an unoccupied couch along the wall, and started to read it. Linus, now that Whitney was in the house, became an irritant once more. He had felt jilted the other night when Lewis had taken up the majority of Whitney's attention and he was determined to get back into her good graces, whether or not he ever had them to begin with, never once crossing his mind.

As he sat next to her, he kept inquiring after her book or making random comments about it. After she had given him enough monosyllabic answers and non attention to convince him his strategy was useless, he decided to bug Lewis as a last resort. Linus had read up on some of the things he had heard them discussing the other night and he started almost a monologue about his opinions on the matters, while acting as if Lewis was a coconspirator in his "conversation." Whitney looked up and unconsciously closed her book as she observed the two men, Lewis in particular. She was immediately invited to join their "conversation" that Linus had started and continued all on his own. "I can really only think of two reasons for you to do such a thing Linus," she responded with a smirk that only meant trouble for Linus.

"What does she mean?" he looked confused and hadn't quite noticed the mocking look in her eyes.

"I don't really know, but your surest way of disappointing her would be to ask her nothing about it," Lewis was trying to put some sense into Linus' head, but Linus could never stand to disappoint Miss Darcy. He asked her to explain herself.

"Well, you either wish to discuss secret affairs with him, in which I would only get in the way, or you are trying to show off your intelligence, and if so, I can admire you both much better from over here," she was merely teasing him and after Linus picked up on that he perked up a little bit.

"That's rather shocking; you should be reprimanded for such a speech. How shall we go about it, Lewis?" Linus asked as he turned back to face him fully.

"Tease her or laugh at her. You have known each other for years, surely you must have something of which you can use to that effect," Lewis replied as he looked her in the eye, watching for some sort of response.

"Oh no, I assure you, in all my years I have never found such a thing. Miss Darcy's calmness and cool temper are not exactly the things of jokes," Linus actually looked sincere when he said this.

"Miss Darcy is not to be laughed at? That is uncommon indeed, and uncommon I hope it to remain, for I love to have a good laugh." Lewis had a sly smile on his face that she didn't miss.

"Linus has given me too much credit, even the best of people can be laughed at by those whose sole object in life is to make a joke of everything."

"I do not wish to laugh at things that are wise or good, but foolishness and hypocrisy are great fodder for me. These, I suppose, are what you live without?"Lewis had gotten up by this time and walked over to where she was sitting.

She was very aware of his closeness as she replied, "I do not believe that is possible for anyone, but I have made it a point to try to avoid the things that often expose us to ridicule."

"Such as vanity and pride," he was now sitting on the armrest right next to her. She didn't move.

"Yes, vanity is a definite weakness, but pride, rightly placed, is not," Lewis turned his face away briefly to hide a smile.

"The interrogation is over right? So what did you find?" asked Linus with limited curiosity.

"I am perfectly convinced she has no defect, she owns it without even trying to hide."

"No, I have enough faults. I'm just not so sure they are the type to invite laughter. My temper is certainly not as kind as it should be, it is far too inflexible for convenience and I do not easily forget the follies and vices of others. I also do not forgive easily, my friendship once lost, is lost forever," She had told him this with such open candor, that he was a little surprised.

"That is a failing indeed. But you have chosen your fault well. I agree that I cannot really _laugh_ at that."

"There is, I believe, a natural tendency towards some particular evil in every disposition, a natural defect, which not even the best of education can overcome."

"And your defect, is a tendency to hate everyone."

"And yours," she said with a smile, "is to purposefully misunderstand them."

"Let's listen to some music, shall we?" asked Linus, who was feeling a bit left out. Whitney was grateful for it. She realized there might be a possible danger in focusing too much attention on Lewis; she was starting to feel a little uneasy.

* * *

Thank you Katesie, Aya001, and Avanell for reviewing:) This may be my last update for a few weeks because my classes start again this Monday. When you guys said you wanted more, I decided to update while I could:) Thanks again!

In case you haven't heard of either Bernard Shaw and/or Mrs. Warren's Profession you should look up "Mrs. Warren's Profession Novel Guide" on google, the site has an excellent summary of both the author and the play (It's one of the best plays out there, in my humble opinion;))

please review and let me know what you think, constructive criticism is welcome:)


	3. Dinner and a New Employee

Pride and Prejudice

Chap 3

Disclaimer: don't own anything:)

* * *

It had been about two weeks since James had gotten better. Lewis was finally caught up with his work in his bookshop and James was now, officially, dating Miss Chelsea Bingley. He left the shop early this fine Saturday and decided to take a walk through the park. As he was approaching the area where he first met Miss Darcy, he got a phone call from his mom inviting him to a family dinner. Lewis was informed that James would be joining them as well and he reluctantly agreed. Lewis never really looked forward to these family dinners; his younger three brothers and his dad could drive him up the wall. But, his brother and his mom were going to be there, and he hadn't seen much of either in a while.

He arrived at the house around six o' clock in the evening. It was a two-story house that was quite large, but it was also probably one of the plainest houses on the block. It was not grandiose by any means, but it was comfortable and a good place for five young boys to grow up. It had a large and well kept yard lined with beautiful trees that they used to climb and play in. He was greeted by a warm hug from his mother. She was a tall woman with dark brown hair that had started to gray. You could see at a glance that she had been a handsome woman in her youth. While her youth had faded, her kindness and vivacious personality kept her looking younger than most women her age. Her bright brown eyes had natural warmth but there was an edge of mischief as well.

"You don't know how happy I am to see you. Ever since you and James have moved out, I haven't heard a word of sense in this poor house," she smiled at him and led him to the living room. Lewis and James had always been her favorites. James had always been father's favorite with his athletic ability, smarts and good looks, whereas Lewis had always been a favorite of his mother. She knew that, while James was certainly smart, he just didn't have the quick wit and the sardonic sense of humor that she and Lewis shared.

"It's good to see you too," Lewis replied as he sat down on the couch. He was happy to be back home again if only to see her. She was a prosecuting attorney in the New York County District Attorney's Office. She loved her job, and the variety of the people she got to meet was always great fodder for amusement or genuine friends. For instance, on Monday she'd had to meet with a delightfully obnoxious PR agent. Most people would have most likely reacted in extreme annoyance, but Mrs. Bennet found only hilarity. The PR agent took herself far too seriously and clearly expected everyone else to do the same. The poor girl never realized she was being mocked and toyed with by Mrs. Bennet. Unfortunately, they could not quite finish the conversation before she was forced to leave for another appointment. Mrs. Bennet then proceeded to invite the girl over for dinner sometime that week…

"I do hope you don't mind if there's another person joining us," she looked up at Lewis with a glint in her eyes that spoke of mischief.

"No, but I am slightly surprised… why are you grinning like that?" he asked as his own sardonic smile crept into place. He knew his mother and she was clearly up to something.

"Oh, no reason in particular, but I am quite sure you will enjoy meeting her," she was now watching his face to see his reaction.

"Her? Who is she?" asked Mr. Bennet as he strode into the living room. He had just heard the last part of the conversation and he was quite surprised that his wife was having someone over for dinner.

"I don't know her that well myself, except for the fact that she's a business woman and a stranger," she enjoyed keeping him guessing.

"You mean Miss Bingley? Well, it'll be a pleasure to have her here," he smiled and started to walk out again.

"No, I assure you, you've never met the woman before," Mrs. Bennet amused herself for sometime with their curiosity before she explained, "The woman is a PR agent who is working with the Office. Her name is Miss Wilfreda Collins, and we can expect her to be here in about an hour. This is why I asked you and the younger boys to help cleanup when I got home." Lewis looked around and noticed that the living room actually looked semi-presentable as opposed to the disaster area it usually was. He also noticed that the kitchen was cleaner than usual as well and that there was a larger-than-normal pot of stew on the stove. "It's your favorite, Lewis, beef stew."

"Mmmm, that sounds really good right now," he smiled as he recognized the rich aroma. "So, what is this lady like?" he knew his mother wouldn't have had her over from work unless there was something either particularly amusing about her or something particularly extraordinary.

"Well, she's a very polite and conscientious young lady, and she just recently got a job with Darcy and Debourgh. I am sure you'll get to hear all about it during dinner," she winked at Lewis.

"Is she very intelligent?" Lewis was becoming more curious about this girl, she sounded very much like a bore. He couldn't really understand why his mother liked her.

"…In her own way, she is very intelligent I suppose. She is very good at her job and she works hard, but she is quite… well, you'll see when she gets here," and that's all his mother would say on the subject. Lewis knew that by asking her he would gain nothing but give her only more satisfaction in her secret. So he refrained from saying anything and decided to go hang out with his younger brothers for a while. Although he couldn't stand being around them for long, he always felt that he should at least try to knock some sense into them. He mainly focused on Lyle and Kent though; he figured that Mark would figure out what sense was in time, through experience. Mark was extremely smart after all, he was just a little too caught up in his books and didn't seem to realize that not everyone wants to be a philosopher. Mark had gotten a full-ride scholarship to go to Princeton and he was going to major in Philosophy. His main aim was to, eventually, obtain a doctorate and become a professor there.

Lyle and Kent were very different from their slightly overbearing brother. They had no sense of responsibility at all. Their motto was to party as hard as they could, while they could. They were basically a modern breed of hedonists who couldn't take no for an answer. They were freshmen in a local community college, and they hardly ever came home unless it was to wheedle more money out of their parents, or like tonight, because they were threatened by their mother to have their car taken away if they stayed out too late again. They did not stay at the dorms because their mother feared what havoc they would wreak there. They were forced to stay at home, and since neither one of them could keep a job or maintain an income, they agreed to it.

Lewis worried about them, but he didn't really know how to connect to them. He had never been obsessed with partying or women. He had always preferred books and intelligent conversation to beer and grinding. He had been to a few parties in college, but he had found them to be tedious affairs. It seemed like it was merely an outlet for the immature to go against their parents or for the stressed to get drunk and forget their problems and responsibilities. He honestly had never understood the appeal of throwing up all night and waking up with a hangover. He never judged his friends who did, but he didn't often join them.

As for women, he had seen enough of them throwing themselves at his brother solely for his good looks, that he viewed them as being mostly shallow and far too much trouble and expense. He had never really understood his younger brothers' fascination with the "fairer" sex. He would enjoy looking at a woman from time to time, and he didn't mind fantasizing a little bit about what it would be like to have a family, but it wasn't exactly high on his list of priorities. He wanted a partner that he not only liked, but could respect, and he hadn't yet found a woman who could fit that description. Miss Bingley was nice enough, but he had gathered that she wasn't exactly the smartest woman out there. He hadn't really felt much attraction to her from the start. She may be a perfect fit for his brother, but he wanted something different. Miss Darcy was definitely smart enough, but she was proud, cruel, and an all around Bitch. There was no way in hell he would ever even consider dating, let alone marrying, a woman like that.

As the doorbell rang, Lewis looked up from his reverie. He had meant to have some sort of conversation with his brothers, but that would come later... perhaps. His mother opened the door and ushered in a rather tall business woman with dark brown hair and eyes. She was pretty in a conventional sort of way. She was dressed plainly, but nicely and she seemed to enjoy complimenting everything she could. She was welcomed politely by the family and they soon sat down to dinner.

Mrs. Bennet allowed Miss Collins to run most of the conversation. She did so with ease and delight, mainly sucking up to the Bennets and giving backwards compliments. In particular, she enjoyed comparing everything she saw to her most important client's household at Rosings. She had been invited there twice for dinner with her patron, Mr. Caleb Dubourgh, and she couldn't compliment him or his household highly enough. It was not uncommon to hear her say things like, "This dinner is absolutely lovely, I'm sure that with proper training you could almost be as good as the chef at Rosings." The family wasn't sure whether or not her sincerity made things better or worse.

When she mentioned Rosings, Mrs. Bennet asked her for more information on her patron. She was, rather than insulted, highly amused by this young girl and Lewis could see why. The combination of humility and pomposity was quite the entertainment. They found out that Rosings was a very large Manor House that rested on just over 30 acres of land. It was about 30 miles out of the city and it was apparently the most amazing place on God's green earth, according to Miss Collins. She related to them every detail of the house and its approximate cost.

"Do you live near Rosings?" Mr. Bennet took his opportunity while Miss Collins paused for a breath.

"Yes, only a small road separates my house from her estate," the pride in her voice was unmistakable.

"Didn't you say, at one point, that Mr. Dubourgh was a widower? Does he have any family?"Mr. Bennet was hoping he might have a single rich daughter.

"Yes, he has one son, the heir of Rosings and of a vast fortune," she almost looked wistful thinking about him.

"Is he a very handsome young man?" asked Mrs. Bennet with a knowing look.

"He is a most charming young man indeed. Mr. Dubourgh himself says that he is in truth one of the handsomest young men alive, because he is well marked by his distinguished birth. Although he is unfortunately of a sickly constitution, which has prevented him making much progress in many accomplishments which he could not have otherwise failed; as I am informed by the man who superintended his education, and who still resides with them. But he is very friendly, and often condescends to drive by my humble home in his limo," she did not seem infatuated with him as Mrs. Bennet had first supposed, but merely in adoration of both him and his father.

"Does he come downtown much? I don't think I've ever met him," knew perfectly well how big New York City was and that he was as likely to meet him if he came into town every day as if he only came once a year, but he was curious as to the young man's habits.

"His poor health unhappily prevents his getting out much; and by that means, as I told Mr. Dubourgh myself one day, he has deprived New York City of its brightest star. He seemed pleased with the idea, and you may imagine that I am happy on every occasion to offer those types of compliments which are always acceptable to men. I have more than once observed to Mr. Dubourgh that his son seemed born to be a king, and that the most elevated rank, would be worn well by him. These are the kinds of little things which seem to please him, and it is a sort of attention which I conceive myself peculiarly bound to pay," she seemed proud of how well she had stroked the man's ego.

"Of course, they are always appropriate, but I wonder, Miss Collins, if these compliments come from the spur of the moment or if they come from previous study?" Mrs. Bennet kept her calm composure and never even had to stifle a smirk.

"They mainly come from whatever is happening at the time, though, sometimes I will amuse myself by coming up with such compliments before-hand and leading the conversation to a point where I might be able to give one, I try to give them as unstudied an air as possible." Mrs. Bennet was thoroughly satisfied and had listened with a great deal of enjoyment. Miss Collins had performed well, and, except for an occasional glance at Lewis, Mrs. Bennet required no partner in her pleasure.

* * *

After dinner as Lyle and Kent cleared away the dishes, Mark went up to his room to study and James and Lewis had joined their mother for a talk in the living room. Miss Collins looked at Mr. Bennet, "Sir, I will be very straightforward with you. I am an old fashioned woman and believe in receiving a parent's permission before trying to date one of their children. Would it be alright by you, if I were to try to get James' attention? I have been told by my patron Mr. Dubourgh that a young woman should marry and have a good man to support her and to start a steady family with. In fact he has urged me to do so."

"Indeed families are wonderful things and I wish you all the luck in the world, but I have to tell you that James is very seriously dating someone and might just be engaged soon. But, Lewis, next to James in both age and good looks, is not seeing anybody," he did want his other son to settle down soon, and he also liked the fact that she had a steady, and rather high, income.

Miss Collins looked over to where Lewis was talking with his mother, "Yes, he is a very agreeable alternative indeed."

* * *

Dinner had been enough of a dose of foolishness for Mrs. Bennet, and she was now eager to finish their business and have Miss Collins be on her way. It only took them a few hours to discuss how the Office wished to be represented when Miss Collins was led out the door. "So, Lewis, what do you think of my dear working partner? Is she not absolutely ridiculous?"

"Aye, she was very entertaining. Did you notice, though, that every time there was a pause in conversation she stared at poor James?" Lewis had been very aware of the way she had been studying his brother and James had noticed it as well. He had become increasingly uncomfortable during dinner and had breathed a sigh of relief when she left.

"Ah well. It's nothing we have to worry about, he's dating Miss Bingley. I highly doubt she'll be bold enough to make a move," his mother replied as she sat down on the couch.

* * *

"Lewis, do you want me to close up shop tonight?" Georgia asked as she watched Lewis take inventory. It was late Friday night and she had just finished putting up the "closed" sign. Georgia had just started working for Lewis this past week. She was a very pretty young blonde about his age, and she had the loveliest blue eyes he'd ever seen.

"I'll do it tonight. You can go home early if you like, I've got some other stuff I want to take care of," he replied as he finished up.

"Anything I can do to help?" she walked over to him, "I am just sort of nervous about going home tonight. This is the latest I've ever worked in the shop before and I don't really know this area of town very well," she smiled embarrassedly up at him as she rested her hip against the table full of famous classics.

"Oh, well I can walk you home if you like. Just wait a few minutes and I'll double check that the account books are balanced properly," he replied as he walked past her. He noticed she was wearing a very sweet floral perfume that reminded him slightly of daisies. _Innocence and Purity_, he thought, _how fitting for her._ She was one of the most charming people he knew and he loved having her around the shop.

"Really? That'd be wonderful! Thank you so much, it's always tough being new in town, but being new in New York City, is even tougher," she waited patiently while he finished his work, made sure everything was turned off and shut down, except for the alarm system, and grabbed the keys to lock up his shop.

"It's nothing really, besides, this way I don't have to think up an excuse to spend more time with you," Lewis almost cringed at his own cheesiness in his poor attempt at flirting, but Georgia was flattered and she liked his attention. Lewis looked at her for a moment and decided that, while she may not be the smartest girl he had ever met, she was definitely the most interesting.

"You're so sweet, Lewis. We should get together and explore the city sometime. You can show me all the great local places," she smiled and held open the door for him. He thanked her and they chatted until they reached her apartment. It was a really small and dingy place that he could tell she had bought for the cheap price.

"Well, I'll see you at work on Monday," Lewis started to walk away when Georgia grabbed his arm and turned him around for a kiss. At first, it was sweet and gentle, but she soon became more aggressive. As her hands traveled slowly down his back, she pulled away gently to give them both some needed air.

"Would you stay the night and keep me company? It gets so lonely being here all by myself," she pressed herself up against him and held him close. Lewis was amazed at how fast things had progressed. He had assumed she was the more innocent type, but then again, maybe she was and she was just unaware of what the connotations of what she had just said were. Lewis was unsure of how to proceed, he didn't want to hurt her by rejecting her but he didn't want to stay there that night either. Lewis usually liked to take things slow with women and he didn't believe in having pointless sex.

Georgia quickly sensed his discomfort with the idea, "Oh darling, I didn't mean it _that_ way. I just want you to stay and chat or have tea with me. Maybe we can even watch a few movies or something like that," she smiled at him and gently pulled herself away from him. She unlocked the door and invited him in. Lewis was still a little apprehensive, but he agreed to it. Georgia made no more advances on him that night. They stayed up late and talked about everything together, their families, friends, and their interests. They had stayed up until the wee hours of the morning and Lewis was becoming more and more comfortable around her.

They ended up watching Monty Python together. Lewis was laughing so hard he didn't notice how Georgia kept creeping closer to him on her couch. He _did_ notice it when she laid her head on his shoulder and began to breathe deeply and evenly. He turned off the TV and gently lifted her head off of his shoulder and laid it onto a pillow. He covered her with a blanket and left the house, leaving a note that gave her his personal cell phone number, and told her to call him anytime she wanted to tour the city.

* * *

It was a couple weeks before the party approached and everyone but Lewis was looking forward to it. Georgia had been a great success in his shop. She was very kind to everyone and everyone immediately liked her. She picked up on her role quickly and she soon had customers coming in almost solely to see her, almost all of whom were male. Lewis soon found out that this was her second job, and that she was doing all of this work just so she could keep her apartment in the city, where she had recently moved. Lewis had to admit, he enjoyed her company far more than any other woman he had met.

Georgia loved talking to Lewis, and she showed an open interest in him which he didn't mind returning. She was very easy to talk to and almost any subject she talked about became ten times more interesting than it actually was merely because of her ability as a conversationalist. She had an excellent sense of humor and Lewis often found himself laughing in the bookstore much more whenever she was there. James had easily noticed his brother's attachment to her and he also enjoyed her company. James was happy for his brother; he had never really shown an interest in a woman before. Even throughout his high school and college days, he had only seemed to take girlfriends because it was the expected thing to do.

Lewis and James were showing Georgia around all of their favorite haunts late in the afternoon when they saw Miss Bingley and Miss Darcy just leaving a fine Italian restaurant. James rushed up to greet Miss Bingley with a warm hug and gave Miss Darcy a firm handshake. James and Chelsea were soon lost in conversation as Lewis followed more slowly with Georgia. He nodded to Miss Darcy in greeting and she was about to do the same when her eyes caught hold of Georgia's. Her expression turned to one of repressed rage while Georgia's turned to stone in shock. Georgia recovered herself enough to nod in her direction and force out, "Nice to see you again, Miss Darcy."

Miss Darcy barely controlled her anger enough to nod, "I honestly can't say the same, Miss Wickham," then turned around and walked away to call a cab. Lewis was shocked; her anger would probably have terrified him had he been on the receiving end of it. He had never seen her lose her countenance before, not like that.

Meanwhile, Chelsea had James promise her that he and his family would attend her party. She told him that his brothers could bring any guests they liked, but to be aware that it required formal attire before she left. Those two apparently hadn't noticed anything, and when Lewis told his brother what happened, neither of them could make neither head nor tail of it.

* * *

Aya001: You have asked and you shall receive! I hope she doesn't disappoint:)

Avanell: Thank you, and I honestly don't know of too many people outside of English and Theatre majors who know of Shaw, so don't feel too worried:) I only know about him because I picked him up at random in a B&N when I was a junior in high school.

A/N:I may not update this until sometime in the spring, my classes and homework are becoming a bit overwhelming, but I'll try my best.

Please Review:) Constructive criticism is welcome


	4. Cafe Conversation

P&P

Chap 4

Disclaimer: Still don't own characters or general plot-line.

* * *

The day after Georgia's confrontational meeting with Miss Darcy, Lewis invited Georgia to have dinner with him at a little cafe across the street from his bookstore after work. They were both in their work clothes, but Georgia seemed to look magnificent in anything. The café was a favorite of his and he knew the owner well. He really wanted to ask Georgia about her acquaintance with Miss Darcy, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up. Fortunately, she breached the topic herself. "How long has Miss Darcy been in New York City?"

"Chelsea told my brother that they just moved here a couple of months ago," he didn't want to drop the subject and added, "I hear from Chelsea that she owns quite a large property up in New Jersey."

"Yes, her estate there is a noble one indeed. I bet you almost no one knows more about that place than I do. I have been connected to her family since my infancy." At this Lewis was pretty sure his mouth dropped about two inches. He couldn't seem to believe that these two women were connected so intimately.

"I understand your shock, particularly after our rather cold meeting the other day," she smiled ruefully as she said it, "Do you know Miss Darcy very well?"

"As much as I ever wish to," the venom in his voice was clear when he stated, "I spent about four days in the same apartment with her due my brother's health, and I found her extremely conceited and almost unbearable to be around." Lewis had often noticed her watching him and he was sure she was just trying to find some way to ridicule him behind his back.

"I should probably not give my opinion on whether or not she is unbearable or otherwise. I doubt I am qualified to form one, after all, I have known her for far too long to be a fair judge. It is impossible for me to be objective. But I believe that your opinion of her would astonish most of the people she's met. Of course, perhaps you wouldn't be so firm about it when around others." Georgia had looked slightly surprised when he voiced his view of Miss Darcy, but she did not seem at all displeased so Lewis went on.

"Actually, I would be just as vehement with anyone else I know who has met her here. The only place I wouldn't speak aloud about this is, probably, her own apartment. She is not liked by anyone I know, and I highly doubt that anyone else would speak better of her." Lewis was shocked that she might actually be viewed as a good person elsewhere.

"Well, I cannot pretend to be sorry about that. I don't believe anyone should gain praise they don't deserve, but I am afraid she gets it way too often. Most people are blinded by her wealth and her position, or frightened by her high and mighty ways, and they see her only as she wishes to be seen." Georgia was finished with her dinner by now and they were merely chatting to pass the time and to enjoy each other's company.

"Even though I've only known her for a short amount of time, I would say she's a very rude and unpleasant woman to be around," Lewis looked at Georgia and she only nodded in response.

"I wonder if she is going to be here in New York City for much longer," she said as she leaned forward and laid her elbows gently against the table.

"I'm not sure, but I never heard her mention leaving while I was at her apartment. She has a job here in the city, which would suggest she intends to stay for some time, but it may be a temporary thing. I hope you will not be too affected by her being here."

"No, I will not be driven away by Miss Darcy. If she doesn't want to see me, she must go. We are not on friendly terms, and it always gives me pain to meet her, but I have no reason for avoiding her. The only reason I might, would be that I may expose her for what she really is to everyone else, her cruel treatment of me and my most painful regrets at her being _what_ she is. Her mother, Lewis, the late Mrs. Darcy, was one of the best women that ever lived, and the truest friend I ever had; and I can't get close to this _Miss_ Darcy without being brought to grief by my loving memories of her mother. Miss Darcy's actions towards me have been scandalous; but I believe I could forgive her for anything and everything, except the way she has disappointed the hopes and disgraced the memory of her mother." Georgia's bitter tirade had Lewis more curious about what had happened between them than ever. He didn't feel comfortable asking her about it, because he didn't really want to be seen as prying into her personal life, but he was sorely tempted.

She then proceeded to talk of more general subjects, but she soon returned to Miss Darcy in a rather roundabout manner. "I mainly moved to New York City because I was thrilled by the prospect of living in such a big city with so many people. I love meeting new people and the variety of people that you meet here isn't like any other place in the world. My good friend Danielle, the girl you hired a couple of months ago, also told me about the new opening in your shop and that I could get hired if I got here quickly enough. I had already been looking in this area for jobs and found a waitressing job nearby as well. I moved into the cheapest apartment I could find, and started working to save up for med school. I wasn't exactly meant for this life of two jobs and a crappy apartment, but circumstances made it a good option, I suppose. I _ought_ to be studying to be a doctor right _now_, and I should have had a rather valuable home by now as well, had it been allowed by _Miss Darcy_," she spat out the name as if it were a poisonous thing.

"Really?" Lewis had no idea that she was smart enough to be admitted to medical school. Sure, she had been a lot brighter than most of his other employees, but _medical school!_ How on earth did she end up with two dead-end jobs and a crappy apartment?

"Yes, the late Mrs. Darcy bequeathed to me the next best house she owned in her will and the money to pay for my tuition for pre-med and medical school. She was my godmother and she was very attached to me. I cannot do her kindness justice. She meant to provide a good deal, and thought she had; but when she died and the living was to be given away, it was given to somebody else and _Miss_ Darcy refused to pay the money to send me through my schooling."

"What? How could she do such a thing?"' cried Lewis; "but how could that be? How could Mrs. Darcy's will be completely ignored? Why didn't you take legal action?"

"She worded the will so informally that there was no hope for me to gain anything by going to court. A respectable woman could not have doubted the intent in the will, but Darcy chose to doubt it, or to treat it as a merely conditional recommendation. She had the gall to say that I had abandoned all claim to it by 'extravagance' and 'imprudence' or, in short, anything or nothing. I am positive, that I haven't done anything to deserve losing it. I am a kind and open-minded woman, and though I may have sometimes been too honest about how I felt about her when I was speaking to her, I can't think of anything worse. But the fact is, that we are very different women, and that she hates me."

"What? She deserves to be publicly exposed for this. If the press got a hold of how abominably you've been treated, she would be crucified by the public, as she deserves" Lewis was beyond astonished. He had known Darcy was cold and bitchy, but he'd never imagined she could be so sadistic and cruel towards a person merely because she didn't like them.

"Some time or another she will be, but not by me. Until I can forget her mother, I can never defy or expose her," Georgia looked so sad and yet, somehow, noble as she said this, that Lewis respected Georgia for such feelings, and he thought her more beautiful than ever as she expressed them.

"But what," he asked after a pause, "could have been her motive for doing that? Why would she be so cruel?"

"A thorough, hatred of me, I suppose. A hatred, that, I can't help but think, comes partly from jealousy. If the late Mrs. Darcy had liked me less, her daughter might have been able to put up with me better; but her mother's uncommon attachment to me, irritated her, I believe, very early in life. She could not stand being in that sort of competition with me, most likely because, the preference was often given to me," Georgia looked almost smug when she said this, but her look turned back to sadness and anger so quickly that Lewis wasn't entirely sure he'd ever seen it.

"I never thought Darcy was as horrific as all that, though I never liked her, I never once suspected such vile behavior from her. I thought that she despised human beings in general, but I didn't suspect her of partaking in such malicious revenge, such injustice, such inhumanity as this!" After a few minutes of thinking about it, however, he continued, "I _do_ remember though, that one day, when I was at her apartment for my brother's illness, she boasted about how she had an 'unforgiving temper.' Her attitude must really suck." He looked to Georgia to see if she would corroborate his thesis.

"I don't think I'll say much on this subject," replied Georgia, with a slightly over-dramatic sigh, "I can't really be fair to her, after all."

Lewis pondered this as he sat there, he was still in shock, and after a time exclaimed, "To be so horrible to, the goddaughter, the friend, the favorite of her mother!" He could have added, "A young woman, like you especially, whose very kindness would seem validate your character" but he contented himself with "And one, too, who had probably been her friend from childhood, connected together, as I think you said, in the closest ways," he was horrified by how terrible Darcy was turning out to be.

"We were born in the same hospital, and most of our childhood was spent playing together; sharing the same house, games, and both of us with, practically, the same parent, since she adopted me. My biological mother began her life after schooling as a lawyer, the same job which your aunt, Mrs. Philips, and your mother do, but she gave up everything so she could serve Mrs. Darcy, and devoted all of her time to care for the Pemberley property. She was very respected by Mrs. Darcy, and was her most intimate and confidential friend. Her husband Allan, had also recently passed away, and I think that she was looking for someone to, not replace him per se, but to help assuage her grief. Mrs. Darcy often expressed the greatest amount of gratitude to my mother, and often even claimed to be in her debt because of her active superintendence, and when, immediately before my mother's death, Mrs. Darcy gave her a voluntary promise of providing for me, I am positive that she meant it as much as a debt of gratitude to her, as well as of love for me," Georgia looked so sad and hurt by how Whitney Darcy had treated her that Lewis was outraged.

"How abominable!" Lewis cried out in his anger, "I wonder how it's possible that she treated you with such horrific deceitfulness when she has such pride. It would almost seem that her very pride would require her to do right by you. Even if she had no better motives, she should have been too proud to be so deceitful and cruel."

"It is wonderful," replied Georgia thoughtfully, "for almost all of her actions may be traced to pride; and pride has often been her best friend. It has gotten her closer to virtue than any other feeling. But nobody's consistent all the time; and in her behavior to me, there were urges even stronger than her pride involved."

"Can such horrific pride as hers, ever do her good?" Lewis' sarcasm and bitterness towards her was clearly evident in his voice.

"Yes. It has often led her to be liberal and generous, to give her money freely, to display hospitality, and to relieve the poor. Family pride, and daughterly pride, for she is very proud of what her mother was, have done this. Not to appear to disgrace her family, to depart from the popular qualities, or lose the influence of the Pemberley House, are very powerful motives. She also has sisterly pride, which with some sisterly affection, makes her a very kind and careful guardian of her brother; and you will hear her generally shouted about as the most attentive and best of sisters.'' Georgia rolled her eyes as she said this and Lewis gave her a sympathetic look.

"If she was so proud of her mother and loved her that much, how could she turn out so vile?" Lewis asked in surprise.

"She may have been proud of her mother, but I am not so sure that she loved her very much. When Mrs. Darcy passed away, it hit all of us in the household very hard. Her younger brother, Greg, and I grieved for days, and most of the staff at Pemberley did as well. Mrs. Darcy was well loved by all of us, but Whitney took it all in stride, she didn't even shed a single tear, at her own _mother's_ funeral. Greg and I tried to help her with organizing it, but she insisted on doing everything herself. I guess she just didn't trust us to do _anything_right. Even at her mother's death she was a cold perfectionist, and she made sure she didn't miss a day of work because of it," Georgia said bitterly. Lewis was amazed that anyone could be so heartless. He didn't understand how she could have possibly weaseled her way into Bingley's good graces, nor could he begin to try to comprehend how a person brought up by so good a woman as Darcy's mother had turned out so depraved.

"What sort of a boy is her brother?" Lewis was curious as to how well a young man could possibly grow up under such a terrible woman's thumb.

She shook her head. "I wish I could call him kind. Naturally, I don't _want_to speak poorly about a Darcy... but he is too much like his sister; very, very proud. As a child, he was affectionate and extremely fond of me, and I spent many hours playing with him. But he is nothing to me now. He is a handsome boy, about seventeen or eighteen, and, I understand, very smart and talented. Since his mother's death, his home has been Pemberly, where a tutor lives with him, and provides his education."

After many pauses and many trials of other subjects, Lewis could not help reverting once more to the first, and saying, "I am astonished at her intimacy with Chelsea Bingley! How can Chelsea, who seems to be made of goodness itself, and is, I really believe, truly sweet, be friends with such a woman? How can they stand each other? Do you know Miss Bingley?"

"Not at all." Georgia's face and voice were nonchalant when he mentioned the name.

"She is a sweet tempered, amiable, charming woman. She cannot know what Darcy is," he was convinced that Chelsea had been somehow deceived, either that or Georgia was, but he thought she probably had a much better understanding of Miss Darcy since they had known each other for so much more time. He was also more than slightly predisposed to believe anything ill said about Miss Darcy.

"Probably not; but _Miss_ Darcy can be nice enough when she wants to be. She is not too bad at acting kind when she needs to. She can be a fine friend if she thinks it worth her while. Among those who are, at all, her equals in riches or positions of power, she is a very different woman, from what she is to the less prosperous. Her pride never deserts her; but with the rich, she is liberal-minded, just, sincere, rational, honorable, and perhaps agreeable, with allowances for her fortune and figure."

Lewis soon started asking about other subjects; mainly because he perceived that this was probably a painful topic for Georgia and he thought she might wish to talk of something else. Lewis started telling her about the strange quirks of his family and got her to smile and laugh. He thus came to talk about the young and ridiculous Miss Collins and her new patron, Mr. Caleb Dubourgh.

"Mr. Dubourgh," he said, "has recently given her a job. I don't really know how Miss Collins was first noticed by him, but she certainly has not known him long."

"You know that Caleb Dubourgh and Allan Darcy were siblings right?" Georgia watched his face intently as she responded. "He is Miss Darcy's uncle. The late Mrs. Darcy was the other owner of Darcy and Dubourgh Publishing Co. along with Caleb Dubourgh's late wife, Anne Dubourgh."

"No, I didn't know anything about Mr. Dubourgh's filial connections. I never heard of his existence until the day before yesterday. I mean I knew of his company, but I had never cared to look into the owners," Lewis was slightly surprised to hear about just how well Miss Darcy was connected.

"His son, David, is rather sickly and doesn't do much, but he has another man in line to inherit the company. His name is William Fitzgerald, and he will have a very large fortune," She gave Lewis a wry smile and a knowing glance. "Although Darcy hasn't become the CEO yet, she will probably get there soon. And when she does, it is believed that he and Miss Darcy will unite the two halves."

This information made Lewis smile, as he thought of poor Linus. How useless and in vain were all of his attentions to Darcy, when she was already pre-destined for another man. "Why isn't she CEO yet? Didn't her mother leave her the company in her will?"

"No, Mrs. Darcy didn't want to give her daughter _everything_on a silver platter. She decided that Whitney had to go through her schooling and work her way up through the company, similar to almost any other employee. Whitney went to Harvard Business School and got her masters in Business Administration. She also interned in Japan for a year to learn about business abroad. She ended up making some connections and, when she got hired here in America, she opened up some relations with a publishing company in Japan and widened the customer base for her own. She had to jump through a few hoops to do so, but it was such a successful endeavor that she got a major promotion for it. She's been making quite a lot of progress in a very short amount of time. In another few years or so, she will easily co-own the company like her mother did. Of course, Mr. Dubourgh is a little old fashioned, unlike his progressive wife, and he doesn't really like the idea of sharing a company with a woman. Luckily for Darcy, he doesn't really have a choice. Mrs. Darcy left him control over her half of the company, but she made it clear, that if Whitney worked her way up and proved herself worthy, he had to allow her to take her rightful place. He doesn't seem to register the fact that his wife and her sister had done a damn fine job of running it long before he got there. He deems women incapable of holding their own without a man to help them. That's partially why he is pressuring Whitney into marrying this William fellow, but the only reason he is the owner now is because Mrs. Dubourgh and Mrs Darcy left it to him in their wills. They never let him touch anything while they were alive, but they kept him updated enough so that it was a fairly easy transition when they passed on."

"Wow, you know a lot about Darcy's business affairs," Lewis figured she'd know the basics, but the specifics she gave him were slightly surprising.

"Even if I detest Darcy, I follow her career out of interest. I care about her mother's company and I don't want it to fall into the wrong hands. If there is one good thing to be said about Darcy, it's that she's damn good at her job and that she probably won't let her mother down on the business side of things. I'm very happy for this, because I can't stand the thought of it remaining in Mr. Dubourgh's hands."

"Collins," Lewis said, "spoke highly both of Dubourgh and his son; but from some of what she said about Dubourgh, I think her gratitude deceives her, and that in spite of him being her patron, he is arrogant and conceited."

"I think he is very much of both," replied Georgia with distaste; "I have not seen him for many years, but I remember that I never liked him, and that he was dictatorial and rude. He has the reputation of being very sensible and clever; but I believe he is given part of his reputation from his rank and fortune, part from his authoritative manner, and the rest from the pride of his niece, Miss Darcy, who chooses that everyone connected with her, should have an understanding of the first class." Georgia's tone had become gradually bitterer the longer she talked about Darcy and Lewis preferred her laughter over her bitterness, so he eventually took her away from the topic and they had a very pleasant remainder of the evening.

* * *

After Georgia left for her home, Lewis called a cab and went over to his brother's apartment to hang out. He couldn't seem to get the Georgia out of his mind, though. The more he thought about her, the more he sympathized with her and her situation and the more infuriated he got with Darcy. His brother's apartment was a simple and nice place. It had one bedroom, a kitchen, bath, and a little bit of living space. It seemed to be the perfect size for a young man starting out on his own. He always kept it as neat as possible, but it was not spotless by any means.

When Lewis got there, he told James everything that Georgia had said about Darcy. James did not receive the information well and listened with astonishment and concern. For once, he was not as credulous as his brother had been. He couldn't possibly understand how Chelsea could have befriended such a cruel person knowingly. However, it was not in his nature to doubt the truthfulness of such a lovely young woman as Georgia. The chance that she had endured such hardships was enough to give him sympathetic pain and brought out all of his genuine concern. But he was determined to think well of them both and to defend each of them. He blamed the horrors that had happened on some mistake or miscommunication, and that each of them just had a severe misunderstanding of one another.

"Most likely they have both somehow been deceived in some way or another," James replied with earnest, "We can't possibly know all of what happened. Perhaps some middle person misrepresented them to each other or something. It is impossible for us to blame either one for anything without having the full circumstances of what happened."

"Of course! That's what it was! Now tell me, dear brother, what do you want to say about the person who was in the middle? Are they somehow miraculously innocent as well, or are we going to have to actually think _poorly_ of somebody?" Lewis couldn't help feeling a little bit irritated with how his brother would purposefully blind himself to the poor qualities of the people around him.

"Make fun of me as much as you like, but you will not change my opinion. Seriously, consider just how horrible this makes Miss Darcy. For her to abandon and cut off her mother's adopted and favored child, one whom she promised to provide for, is impossible. Nobody with an ounce of humanity within them could do such a thing. Do you honestly think it's possible for her intimate friends to be so incredibly deceived by her? I don't." James was definitely firm in his answer and Lewis knew his mind wouldn't change, but he couldn't just let it go.

"It is much easier for me to believe that Darcy has deceived the ever gullible and sweet Miss Bingley, than it is to believe that Georgia made up that story out of thin air. She gave me names, facts and details without any inherent contradictions or false theatrics. If it isn't true, let Darcy herself deny it. Besides, I can usually tell when people are telling the truth or giving me B.S., I live in New York City for Christ's sake. If I couldn't do that by now, I would be living in the street." Lewis was frustrated by now: why couldn't his brother take the rainbow clouds from his eyes and see the world properly for once?

"It's a tough situation, that's for sure. I don't know what to think." James sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"I do," replied Lewis in a slightly sharper tone than he'd intended. _And you would too if you weren't so blindly optimistic,_ he couldn't help but think. "Anyway, are you going to Chelsea's party?"

"Yeah, and the whole family's invited. You can even bring along a guest if you like." James perked up at the mention of the party. Since James had recovered, they had named next Saturday as the day of the event. It was a more formal affair than the rib-off had been, but it wasn't quite a black tie affair.

"I think I'm going to invite Georgia as my date, I haven't been on an official date with her yet, so this is the perfect opportunity to make my move, right?" Lewis winked playfully at his brother.

"Finally, it's about time you asked her out. I was just starting to wonder how I'd explain to my kids why Uncle Lewis is always alone at family get-togethers." James had kept a relatively straight face until Lewis punched him playfully on the arm.

"Since when do you care about my love life anyway?" Lewis was definitely in a better mood now, and he knew that his brother had also been thinking about how poor Chelsea would react if she knew about Darcy, when he had defended her. He honestly felt for her as well, but he didn't really see the good in keeping her in the dark much longer. The sooner she could realize what a villain her friend was, the better off she would be. "I really like her though, maybe I'll finally get serious about a girl."

* * *

Avanell: Thank you! It's a lot of fun to write as well:)

Jen C: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it:)

A/N: Hello! I should be reading Michel Foucault, but I'm doing this instead... ahhh well;) I will update as soon as I can, like always, but I never know when that'll be. Thanks for your patience and enjoy:) Please review, constructive criticism is always welcome.


	5. Garden Party

P&P 5

Disclaimer: Don't own characters or basic plotline.

* * *

"Darcy, please, just this once, for me?" Chelsea pleaded with her friend as they tried on clothes at the store. "Please wear a dress for this party. I know you have a love affair going on with suits and that you can't stand dresses, but please, just this once, let me see you in a dress." Chelsea held up a dark green dress that she thought would look good on Darcy.

"It's torture enough to have to go shopping for clothes and now I have to try on dresses as well?" Darcy smiled at her friend and sighed dramatically, "Very well, but you owe me ice cream after all this is over…and chocolate, definitely chocolate." Darcy got a faraway look in her eyes, and Chelsea threw the dress at her to bring her back to earth.

"Stop dreaming about chocolate and try this on." Chelsea went into her own dressing room and pulled a full-length black dress over her head, "Besides don't you want to look good for Lewis?"

"If I ever dress for the purpose of becoming a sex object for a man to ogle, please shoot me. The only reasons why I choose to dress nice are for me or out of respect for others." Darcy knew Chelsea was just kidding with her, but it still bothered her on some level that Chelsea would dress up to make a man take notice. Oh well, whatever made her friend happy…sort of. She walked out of the dressing room and faced Chelsea. "Black looks good on you Chels."

"Thanks, I really love your dress too. It fits you perfectly," Chelsea smiled as she walked around her friend making sure it didn't look funny in the back or have any snags.

"Yeah, the only problem is that it's sleeveless. My arms look too buff, don't you think?" Darcy was slowly flexing her arm in the mirror and smiling. She worked out a lot with Aikido and Karate, mainly to relieve stress, and she almost always wore long sleeves.

"I think you're doing that solely to show off, and no I don't think it makes your arms look too buff. Who's dressing to impress others now?" Chelsea smirked as she picked out another dress.

"Hm? No, I just like wearing sleeves, the soft fabric against my skin feels nice and it's fun to wear loose sleeves especially, then I can play with them and wave my arms to make myself look like an elegant fairy or something." Darcy starting waving her arms around her head with the sleeveless top and ended up looking so ridiculous Chelsea cut up laughing.

"Oh, come on. Just try on the next dress already." Chelsea threw another one at her, this one black with long sleeves.

"Isn't enough for me to try on one dress? You said this one was relatively decent right? Our shopping trip could end and we could go get ice cream," Darcy still took the other one back with her to the dressing room.

"You're taking all of the fun out of shopping if you do that; half of the fun is trying out all of the different choices," Chelsea pulled on a midnight blue, sleeveless, full-length gown and walked out to admire herself in the mirror. "Besides, why are you so hung up on ice cream? I know you love sweets, but isn't this a little excessive?"

"No, because this time, there's the double bonus that comes with it being the end of our shopping trip," Darcy came out in the long flowing black dress and Chelsea couldn't help but stare. The green dress had looked wonderful earlier, but this black dress seemed like it was made for Darcy. It had loose long black sleeves and a gentle curved neck with wide shoulders. The loose material looked like it flowed as she walked and it had a silver belt tied at the waist. It was classy and elegant, and it fit her perfectly.

"Wow, you can probably stop shopping now. I don't think you'll find a better dress," Chelsea walked up to her and put her arm around Darcy's shoulders. "What do you think about mine?" Chelsea's dress had a silky sheen to it and it was fairly simplistic, but gorgeous none the less. Its bodice was form fitting, while the skirt hung down loose and free. Chelsea twirled in it and posed as if she were a model.

"You can probably stop shopping as well, that's color brings out the blue in your eyes and the dress fits you beautifully. I don't think you'll find a prettier one that suits you better…and I'm not just saying that because I want ice cream." Darcy smiled down at Chelsea and they both laughed. "Alright, on to Ben& Jerry's!"

* * *

"How do you eat so much sugar and still remain so fit? If I ate that much, I'd balloon." Chelsea stared in amazement at Darcy's banana split sundae.

"I go to the gym everyday after work, and I think I have a pretty good metabolism as well." She dug into the strawberry portion of the sundae. "Besides, it's always nice to let out all of my pent up stress after work, ya know?"

"…Sure…anyway, you know Lewis is coming right? You two hit it off pretty well when he was staying at our place." Chelsea winked suggestively and sipped her milkshake.

"He is more intelligent than I originally gave him credit for, yes." Darcy nodded congenially as she ate the cherry.

"Oh come on! You know what I mean. You two were practically flirting with each other any time you were in the same room together. You never took your eyes away from each other. He could be the man fit to be your future husband," Chelsea looked almost pleadingly up at Darcy.

"Right, how could I possibly forget the fact that if a woman is over 25 and single, it is a truth universally acknowledged that she must be in want of a husband. Please, Chelsea. I've known plenty of men and he's just the same as all the rest, now can we drop this and enjoy the ice cream?" She shoved some vanilla into Chelsea's mouth just as she opened it to answer and smiled wickedly as her friend gained a massive brain freeze.

* * *

Lewis was sort of excited about attending Chelsea's party. He had called Georgia and asked her to come about four days before the actual party and she had responded with enthusiasm. He greatly looked forward to being able to dance and chat with Georgia, but what he anticipated almost even more, was the look on Miss Darcy's face when she saw he brought Georgia as his guest. He fully expected her actions and expressions to confirm everything Miss Wickham had told him. The idea of seeing her looking uncomfortable and forcing her to lose the cool façade she always wore, gave him more pleasure than he'd ever admit to.

"Oi! Lewis! You about ready?" Chris called as he knocked on Lewis' apartment door. "We're gonna be late if you don't get your butt out here soon!"

"Yeah, yeah I'm ready, I'm ready!" Lewis came barging out of the door, almost knocking Chris over. Lewis was wearing an unbuttoned black suit and a dark blue button-up shirt underneath it. Chris was also in black, but he had worn a typical white dress shirt underneath. Chris may not have been very handsome; in fact, he was rather average looking, but his relaxed attitude and his gentle brown eyes made you feel instantly at ease. His short mousy brown hair was soft and had a gentle sheen to it.

"Lookin' as good as ever Lewis. You'll have Georgia drooling over you tonight." Chris smiled and led Lewis down the stairs and to his car. "So tell me, where does Georgia live?"

"Huh? Oh… well she said she might be a little late coming from her second job, so we should just meet up with her there." Lewis had forgotten to tell Chris that they didn't need to pick her up. "I hope they don't overwork her tonight, I want her to have enough energy to enjoy the party after all…By the way, you're not looking too bad yourself. Did you dress up with anyone particular in mind?"

"Not really, you know I don't do romance, but if I meet up with someone rich or powerful, it's always good to make a nice first impression." Chris drove slowly though the end of rush hour traffic.

"Aww, come on, there has to be some sort of girl out there for you." Lewis smiled and winked at him. "Not all of them are obsessed with romance."

"Hmm… In all honesty, if I did marry someone, it would probably be for the tax cuts or maybe for a chance to increase my income or position. I don't really think I'm the type to fall in love. I could probably live comfortably with a good girl though, so long as she respects my space and privacy."

"Wow, that's a little harsh. I almost pity any girl you would marry. What if you got along with her really well, kind of like we do?"

"…Are you making an offer? We could go to Iowa I suppose," Chris deadpanned. "After all civil unions aren't sanctioned here in New York yet."

Lewis broke out laughing, but after Chris stayed silent and expressionless he asked, "You are… joking, right?" Chris stayed silent and looked at him as they stopped at a red light.

"Hm? What's so wrong with the idea of marrying me?" Lewis just looked at Chris slack-jawed.

"I'm sorry Chris but I'm straight, I thought you knew that…" Lewis glanced over and saw Chris giving him a slow once-over.

"I can change that," Chris' voice was low and sensual as he said it and Lewis shifted in his seat, not sure what to say, until Chris cracked a slow smile and burst out laughing. "Haha! You should have seen the look on your face! My god, you looked like you were about to piss yourself. Haha, I can't believe you fell for that. Why on earth would I want to marry _you?_"

"Oh, hardy har, very funny. You don't have to rub salt in the wound you know." Lewis was smiling in spite of himself though. "Ah! Finally we arrive. If Georgia's up there waiting for me I'm going to blame our lateness solely on you."

"Yeah, yeah, blame the innocent for your laziness, I know how you operate." Chris grinned as they pulled into the parking lot of Brooklyn's Botanical Gardens. Chelsea had rented out the Palm House, which Lewis thought was a bit excessive, but he wasn't going to complain about having a free dinner made by professional chefs. The party was invite only and it felt like he was part of some exclusive club, even though the guests invited numbered over two-hundred, walking down the flower surrounded pathways to reach the glass dome that was the Palm House. Apparently Chelsea had invited a lot of her colleagues from work, and when they asked about bringing along friends and spouses, Chelsea could never say no or turn them down, so when it grew to be such a large party, she decided to rent out a venue that could fit them all. _Ahh, the blessings of being filthy rich. _

As Lewis entered the oval glass dome latticed with white supports, he looked up to see lights elegantly lined the main supports and the clear night sky through the glass roof. There was a dance floor off to his right with a live jazz band playing some slow soothing music. The tables had elegant white table cloths and colorful flowered centerpieces. Chelsea welcomed him with James by her side; he had arrived about fifteen minutes earlier than Lewis. Lewis and Chris then moved on to find a table to sit and chat for a while. Lewis had looked around, but he couldn't find Georgia anywhere. She was probably still at work.

"Hello, can I sit here?" Lewis looked up to see Miss Collins in a dark blue full-length gown. It fit her slightly rounded frame rather well though her make-up was slightly overdone, she still looked nice. She immediately sat down without waiting for a response and leaned forward while batting her eyelashes at him in an almost farcical display of flirtatious behavior, while almost blatantly ignoring Chris. "How are you today Lewis? You know I was just looking for someone who might like to dance with me, and how lucky I am to find you! Oh, and listen to that, they've just started playing my favorite song, what a coincidence. Come on, let's go." She almost forcefully pulled him out onto the dance floor with the few other couples who had been dancing. Lewis had a feeling that, the fact that her favorite song had started to play when she had gone over to sit by him, was not a coincidence at all. He had strong suspicions money and fore-planning were involved.

Lewis looked around for Georgia desperately hoping for some excuse to refuse Miss Collins, but she was still nowhere to be found. Of course, he figured she'd call him once she was on her way, but he still clung to the vague hope that she would step out any minute and force Miss Collins to go away. Unfortunately, he was forced to dance the next two dances with Miss Collins. These two dances were probably the worst he'd ever had in his life. Miss Collins often moved off tempo and apologized as opposed to trying to get better. She stepped on his feet a few times and would have bumped into others if Lewis had not been watching out and warning her at the last minute. This horrific torture continued until he used a phone call as an excuse to get away and go outside for a few minutes. When he saw it was Georgia's number he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled broadly as he answered the phone. "Hey Georgia, did they finally let you off work?"

"Umm, Lewis, about that… they are really short tonight and we're even busier than normal. If I leave now, everything would just fly off the handle. I'm really sorry I can't come tonight, but I promise I'll make it up to you." As he listened his face fell and disappointment was plainly visible.

"It's alright, I understand. I'm sorry it had to be tonight of all nights, ya know?" He laughed half-heartedly into the phone.

"Me too, but I have to admit I am a little bit relieved that I don't have to be in the same room with Darcy tonight."

"Aye, but you left me to deal with her on my own, that's so cruel." He smiled as he heard her laugh on the other end.

"I'm sure you can figure out a way to avoid her while visiting with the other 200 guests, right? Well, I will see you at work on Monday and we'll definitely schedule a rain check, how's that? I could even fix you a fancy dinner or something. I promise I'll make it up to you, but I really have to go, my boss is yelling at me for taking even this much time off. Sorry Lewis, but I promise we'll get together soon. Bye."

Lewis sighed as he hung up the phone and headed back inside the building, making sure to avoid the searching gaze of Miss Collins. He quickly found Chris and relayed to him all of his woe. Chris hadn't yet heard the story of Georgia's grudge against Miss Darcy and he was much more objective than Lewis was. "Don't be so hasty to hate Miss Darcy merely because of something that happened a long time ago. Like your brother said, you don't know all of the circumstances, so don't be so quick to judge. You may even find her to be agreeable."

"Heaven forbid, to find such a heartless bitch agreeable. Please don't jinx me." Lewis smiled at Chris, but was almost entirely serious. Chris' eyes widened and he tapped Lewis' arm. "The demon queen heads this way," he mocked Lewis gently, "Be careful not to be rude to her before you even know her Lewis. You know what they say about _ass_umptions, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Although, why she'd come here is beyond me." Lewis ducked his head and hid his face. "Maybe she'll go away…"

"No worries, I don't think she saw you to begin with, apparently she was just coming to greet a friend…Does she know Miss Collins?" Chris patted Lewis on the arm, "It's ok now, she's looking the other way."

"No, I don't think they're acquainted, why?" Lewis looked at friend in confusion.

"Well, don't look now but she's the 'friend' Darcy's talking to," Chris smiled and watched as the color drained from Lewis' face.

"What? She was this close and you didn't warn me? I swear someone's out to get me Chris, not only do I have to avoid Collins, but Darcy as well. I'm going outside again, it seems like nowhere in here is safe from those two," Lewis sighed and drained his champagne.

* * *

Darcy had seen Lewis when he came in, and she couldn't seem to draw her eyes away from him. Chelsea had seen her staring and lightly elbowed her, "If you're that interested in him, why don't you ask him to dance? After all, it's not like you'd be asking him to marry you or anything."

"Interested? Please, I thought you knew me better." Darcy finally tore her eyes away from Lewis to look at Chelsea with a glint in her eye. "I was just surprised he came with a man as his partner… maybe he's cheating on Miss _Georgia,_" she drawled out Georgia in a horrible imitation of a southern accent and Chelsea couldn't stop herself from giggling.

"I don't know, but you don't have to be interested in a man to ask him to dance. You could use the opportunity to get to know him a bit better or something… I better go greet him. You coming with?"

"Nah, I just saw an acquaintance from work I need to discuss some business with. You go ahead." Darcy smiled as her friend left to greet more of her guests. She was relieved he hadn't brought Wickham with him, but she also knew she was more relieved than she should have been. _Who cares if he brings a woman with him or not? It's not like it matters to me._ She walked over to where her business partner Stan was getting some wine and discussed a few new ideas she had with him.

"Wow, you really never stop working huh? I can't believe you're discussing work at my party." Chelsea interrupted them as she came back. "Have some fun for once Darcy and stop bothering this poor man."

"Alright, but what else do you expect me to do?"

"Eat, drink, have fun, dance, relax: I know that doing something recreational is an almost completely foreign idea to you, but try for me, and for you." Chelsea smiled up at her, "I know you don't socialize well, but you could always use this opportunity to practice."

Chelsea soon left again and Darcy turned her eyes to the dance floor to see a few couples dancing slowly to some romantic waltz. She paused when she noticed Lewis was dancing with a tall dark-haired woman about her age. After observing them for a while, she noticed that the brunette was clumsy and quite uncoordinated. She also noticed Lewis' look of embarrassment and distaste. _Hmm…how interesting._ She finished off her Zinfandel and watched him until he finally got away from his partner and hurried outside with his cell phone.

"You look a little like a stalker, staring after him like that," Chelsea had come back again to get some champagne.

"Hm? I was just mesmerized by his dancing partner, if you saw her you'd be staring too," Darcy smiled as she looked over to where Miss Collins was standing.

"Ahh yes, but she wasn't the one walking out the door just now…Seriously, if you like the man, ask him to dance with you. It's not like you're even admitting you like him, just do it for the fun of it. You never know, you may find you actually enjoy dancing when you have a good partner," Chelsea nudged her towards where Lewis was sitting with Chris when he came back in. "He shouldn't mind since he doesn't have anyone else with him, right?"

"Please, I'd be better off getting up on stage and doing the hula. Besides I get the feeling he probably doesn't like me that much after how I acted the first time we met," Darcy gave Chelsea a wry look and set down her empty glass.

"So look at this as a perfect way of apologizing and clearing it all up. Who knows, something even better could come of it by the end of the night," Chelsea's suggestive tones did nothing to lighten Darcy's mood. "Unless you're scared and intimidated by him, I understand of course. I might find it disconcerting to find a man as smart as I am after looking down on men for all my life."

"Scared and intimidated? Do you really think I'll be baited by such tactics?" Darcy looked over at Lewis once more, "I may go ask him anyways, he is a rather interesting person."

Chelsea looked up at her friend with mischief in her eyes, "See, I told you you would fall for someone one of these days."

"I haven't fallen for him Chelsea, nor will I. He is vastly more interesting to talk to then most other men I have met, but that does not mean I want to take it any further than an indifferent acquaintance or, perhaps, a good friend, if we get to know each other well enough." Darcy was used to her friends' badgering though, and she didn't think much of it. Every single male she had gotten remotely close to or interested in in the past years, Chelsea always saw as a potential boyfriend. None of those relationships had gone any further than she wished them to and if the man had tried she immediately told him to drop it or leave. She never left any room for doubt when she dealt with them and she felt she was fair in being completely honest with them. Some of them might think differently and call her the "ice-queen" or, her personal favorite, "über bitch," but she thought being honest was kinder than giving them false hopes or using them as she had seen other women do. Of course, she had always been more blunt than most people and her tact was almost non-existent, but she genuinely tried to do the right thing… most of the time.

"Hmm? We shall see my dear friend, we shall see." Darcy gave Chelsea one last look of forbearance before heading in Lewis' direction. "You go girl! And if you chicken out at the last second, I'll never forgive you," Chelsea almost shouted this last sentence and a few people near her turned around to look at her. Darcy shook her head in good humor and went on. As she was just about to approach the table where Lewis sat, she felt someone tug on her sleeve and as she turned towards the sensation she was surprised to see Lewis' previous dancing partner looking at her with eager anticipation. After she had introduced herself and made herself look the fool Darcy finally got away to discover that Lewis had already left.

* * *

Lewis was genuinely impressed by all of the beautiful landscaping he saw in the gardens. The flowers were almost all in bloom and the pathways were somehow even more romantic in the full moonlight. He loved the peace and quiet that he encountered out there and he started to feel truly relaxed for the first time that night. As he was walking by a couple, he heard Darcy's name mentioned and he couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"I was surprised to see Miss Whitney Darcy here. I can't believe my old boss actually came to a party." The lady speaking was a petite blonde with pretty blue eyes. She was chatting with her boyfriend quite openly and it wasn't hard for Lewis to pretend to be occupied by something else while listening in on their conversation.

"Why? Is it so unusual for a person to have fun every once and a while?" He took a swig from a flask he had hidden in his coat pocket.

"It is for her, I swear that woman never took a break and she hates socializing with people. Of course, that's probably the one thing in this life she's horrible with. Did you know she made a girl cry on her first day of work? I swear, no one in the office liked her, except for the men of course, but even they were terrified of her. I heard she punched a guy and knocked him out merely because he asked her out."

"What? She actually physically punched a guy and KOed him?"

"I heard he was drunk too, but still, no one, I mean _no one,_ ever liked her or anything before, but after that they were scared too. I heard she was once two-timed by a guy she fell for and that's why she's so violent. I mean, I don't want to sound bitchy or anything, but don't you think she kind-of deserved it? I mean with the way she acts all high and mighty, like she's somehow better than the rest of us, you know? It's not fair that people like her get everything handed to them on silver plate. I mean she has looks, wealth, smarts and friends in high places that don't fire her even after she decked a guy for no good reason. It must be nice to be her." She flipped her blonde hair back in disgust and sipped on her martini.

"Didn't she get promoted before you did even though she was younger and less experienced than you were?" He asked as he picked a flower off of a tree blossoming nearby. He put it in her hair and she smiled at him until she fully processed what it was that he had just said. Her expression then turned sour and she huffed in displeasure.

"The wench hadn't even been working there for half as long as I had and she was above me? She thought she could tell me what to do merely because she was the ex-CEO's brat? Ugh, I don't know why I ever put up with that company's crap, I'm so glad I quit and joined up with Random House, at least they recognize my abilities there." She downed the rest of her martini and sat down on a bench looking somewhat dejected. Her beau sat next to her and tilted her face towards him.

"And they pay better too, which is always a plus for me." He smiled and kissed her gently. Lewis quickly became uncomfortable as the talk turned mushy and he turned and left the couple to their romantic rendezvous.

As he walked deeper and deeper into the gardens and farther from the crowd he felt more and more at peace. The darkness enveloped him underneath the trees and shielded him from the full moonlight. As he was walking he heard someone humming a pretty tune and he turned off of the pathway to go and see who it was. As he walked through the trees he suddenly saw a small clearing. He saw a girl dancing by herself in a flowing black dress under the pale moonlight. She looked almost like a dark faerie from a horror story. Beautiful and yet there seemed to be something dangerous or strange about her, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. It almost seemed like if you let your guard down against her beauty, she might turn into something terrible and devour or curse you. Her dress blended into the shadows around her and almost seemed to become part of the shadows itself. Her long black hair shone and almost glittered in the moonlight as she danced. Her eyes were closed and she acted as if there were many people around her, and she often went from partner to partner. The reason Lewis could tell the difference between them, was the way she would curtsy every time she switched "partners." Lewis was amazed at her imagination and at the freedom and almost gaiety in her movements. Without really thinking about it he took a few steps out of the trees and into the moonlight of the clearing, where she could have plainly seen him if she opened her eyes. He paused after he had left the shade and protection of the trees, wondering what on earth he was doing. It almost seemed profane to interrupt her, or for him to show himself.

His indecision lasted too long and he watched with horror and mortification as her eyes slowly opened and caught his own. He was glad it was night, and he prayed that the moon didn't give his embarrassment away. He could feel his face flush as he saw her smile at him and ask him in an all too familiar voice, "Would you like to dance with me?"

"Darcy?" He was so startled he forgot to even try to be polite or even keep a grip on his shocked countenance. "What are you doing out here?" He felt even more mortified than before and he was quickly trying to look for a way to cover up his gaffe, when she laughed and held out her hand.

"Why dancing, of course. And you?" She looked at him, not in shame or embarrassment, but with a contented and peaceful air that he never would have associated with her. He was shocked, not only that he hadn't even recognized her, but that she was smiling and laughing so easily. He didn't know what to make of it. "Would you like to dance with me, Lewis?" She asked once more offering her hand to him.

Lewis was so stunned, that the only word to escape his lips was, "…Yes."

* * *

Thanks Avanell:)

Please Review:)


	6. A Dance

P&P6

Disclaimer: I don't own Pride and Prejudice

* * *

As Darcy grabbed Lewis' hand and pulled him further into the clearing he felt his hands tingle and his heart seemed to thump a little louder than normal. He had never noticed that she was the same height he was. He had known she was tall, but he had never quite noticed just _how_ tall she was before. He looked down to see if she was wearing heels, but he noticed she had kicked them off and was completely barefoot. She started humming a lively but rather haunting tune that he didn't recognize. As they danced to her song, Lewis felt slightly awkward but he found she was a genuinely good dancer and he moved well with her. As her song ended he asked her its title and she smirked as she replied, "Madame Guillotine, from the play The Scarlet Pimpernel, of course."

"Madame Guillotine? Isn't that a bit morbid?" Lewis looked at her in shock. He had thought it was a simple and innocent song, or maybe even a purely instrumental bit. As his confusion was clearly written on his face, she smiled at him.

"What? Were you expecting something of the 'Somewhere over the rainbow' ilk?" Even though her humming had stopped, they still kept on dancing as they were talking. Now that he thought about it, he realized a song like Madame Guillotine must fit her personality to a T. She was after all, a cold-hearted monster.

"Hardly, but neither was I expecting something quite so dark. Is it as awful as it sounds?" Lewis spun her out and drew her back to him.

"The last verse goes something like this, if I remember it right:

'Flash, slash! Glisten and gash!  
She will ravish you, Madame Guillotine  
Split, Madame just bit  
Give her more to bite, she's a hungry queen  
Sing, swing, savor the sting  
As she severs you, Madame Guillotine  
Slice, come paradise  
Hail her Majesty!  
Madame Guillotine!'" As she sang the final line she backed away from him and curtsied as if to signify the dance was over. "Thank you for dancing with me, it was entertaining."

"…Sure, anything to entertain," Lewis' sarcasm was not lost on Darcy. She looked at him with mischief in her eyes.

"Oh? Anything, huh?" She smiled at him and he instantly regretted his words. Her eyes seemed to hold the devil's own within them. "…Even another dance?"

Lewis was slightly surprised at her simple request, and almost disappointed in a way. He nodded stiffly, shrugged, and then held her hand in his own, as he placed the other at her waist. This time she was silent and they worked off of each other to find the beat. The cicadas' annoying hum in the background seemed to help as well. Lewis felt even more awkward and ill at ease. He felt like he had to say something, anything to break the silence between them. Darcy seemed to be perfectly content with merely dancing in the moonlight. Her eyes were almost shut and looked like she was perfectly at ease with him and everything else in the world. He briefly wondered how many others had seen this side of her, or if they ever had at all. When he had been at Chelsea's, she had never seemed to express any true emotions. Her face was polite, mocking or serious. As he saw her smile gently for the first time, lost in a world all her own it seemed, since he'd known her, he almost softened his attitude toward her. Then he remembered Georgia, and any slight warmth he felt towards her turned back to ice. He felt almost overpowered by the awkwardness of it all and he decided any type of small talk was necessary, just so long as the silence was gone. "How's work?"

"Good," She looked at him with her eyebrows slightly raised. "Why the sudden question?"

"People usually talk about work or books or movies or even the weather when they get together. It's called small talk. Of course silence and taciturnity are always options, but not many people feel comfortable being around those who choose them," he was surprised at how blunt he was being with her, but then again something about her just brought it out of him.

She smiled at his frankness, "Very well then, name whatever subject you wish and I shall be glad to enter into discourse with you."

He was slightly surprised that she wasn't angry at him; the only thing he saw was amusement. "Didn't I just do that?"

"Ahh, yes you did, though I was just surprised you picked something as mundane as work to talk about," she grinned, and to him, it almost looked like she was bearing her teeth. He could just imagine them elongated and razor sharp to tear through whatever prey she was searching for that night. He blinked and the illusion was gone. The moonlight was playing tricks on him but the image of the cruel fairy stayed with him. "Well, I have a project I am currently working on that has to do with office efficiency. It's rather dull I assure you, completely uninteresting. But how about you? Your job seems to be much more fascinating than mine. I've always wanted to own an independent bookstore, what's it like?"

"Why the sudden interest? The first day I met you, you immediately blew me off even after I'd told you that I owned one," his suspicion _almost_ made her feel guilty.

"…I don't really have the gift of conversing easily with people I don't know, and I honestly wasn't listening to anything you were saying. I too busy trying to find a way out of talking with you to notice the content of what you were talking about." She didn't look the least apologetic about her behavior and he knew better than to wait for an apology. Besides, he was happy he could get the chance to bring up the main subject he had wanted to ask her about.

"My work is actually going really well, we've even had to hire a few new employees to help out. I was showing one of them around town a while ago when we ran into you and Chelsea. Do you remember her?" Darcy's response was as immediate as he expected it to be. Any ease and candor previously shown was immediately lost to a mask of cold indifference. Lewis almost regretted the loss of the open ease she had shown him before.

At length, Darcy finally replied, "Miss Georgia Wickham and I know each other from long before the time you two met, as I'm sure you've already guessed… Unlike me, she is very skilled at socializing and is certainly going to make friends easily, though whether or not she is equally capable of actually keeping them is another matter." Her tone made it sound as if she was merely discussing the weather, but he knew she was holding back.

"She has been unfortunate enough to lose your friendship, and in a way that will probably cause her to suffer for the rest of her life." He looked at her to see her reaction, but she seemed to have drifted off. He gazed back to where her eyes had traveled and thought he saw the back of Chelsea's dress as she turned the corner.

She blinked and looked back at him to see his expectant face, "I'm sorry, I momentarily forgot what we were talking about," she looked deep in thought about something and he could tell it wasn't him or Georgia.

"I suppose we weren't really talking at all. I can't imagine two people who have less to talk about than we do. We've tried two or three different topics and we seem to have come to a dead end each time. I can't imagine what on earth we should try to talk about next." He cursed his cowardice at not pressing the Wickham issue, but he had felt that it might get ugly if he did.

"What about books? You said this was an option for 'small talk' did you not?" Her lips quirked up into a crooked half-smile as she tried to lighten the mood.

"With the way you and I talked about plays, we'd need a debate hall and a mediator set up between the two of us before we could discuss books properly. I come to parties like these so I don't have to think so much," his mind drifted off the subject at hand.

"Perhaps we could talk of a light read that doesn't require much thought?"

"Yeah…sure…Darcy, I remember you once said that you didn't forgive easily and that once you're friendship is lost it is gone forever. You are incredibly careful about the people you deem unforgivable?" She looked him in the eye and he felt he might still be treading dangerous ground.

"I am," Her voice was firm and her expression of confidence never wavered.

"And I suppose prejudice never hinders your impartiality?"

"I should hope not." Her voice now cold and all familiarity or warmth was lost.

"That's good, after all a permanent sentence always needs to be carefully thought out."

"Why are you talking about these things, all of a sudden?" Her eyes narrowed and she studied him carefully.

"I was just trying to figure out your character," he tried to lighten the serious tone that had entered their conversation.

"How's it going?" Her dry answer made him wary.

"It's rather difficult because I always hear such different accounts of you. I concede that it befuddles me," he couldn't help but love the word 'befuddles' and he thought it might make her relax or maybe even smile again…

"I can imagine," her wry tone of voice surprised him a little, "and I would ask that you do not attempt to sketch out my character right at this moment, because I dare say it would reflect poorly on the both of us."

"But, if I don't do it now, I may not have an opportunity later," he reasoned.

"Well, I wouldn't want to be accused of having double-standards or of being a hypocrite, so I will not by any means detract from any entertainment of yours." Her voice was icier than before, almost bitter in a way, and he realized he wanted to stop this as quickly as possible.

"How long, exactly, do you plan to use me for your 'entertainment'?" It came out a little harsher than he'd intended, but he didn't feel too bad about it at this point.

"However long you allow it to happen. No one's forcing you to stay." They both stopped abruptly and she gently bent her head in his direction. "Hope you enjoy the rest of your evening, Lewis."

"You too, Whitney." He turned and headed towards the glass dome of lights and music once more while Whitney went to grab her shoes.

* * *

Whitney closed her eyes in frustration and started walking towards the party once more. She was pissed off at Lewis, but her anger quickly switched to Miss Wickham. Even though her attention had wandered when she saw how intimate her friend Chelsea was getting with James, she had still heard what he said about her making Georgia suffer. She had avoided the topic by feigning ignorance, but she wasn't sure she could pull it off again. She hated that woman, but she really didn't see the need to justify any of her actions to Lewis. He had no business poking his nose into her personal affairs. Besides, it was a painful subject that she avoided whenever possible.

She walked back through the double doors and saw Linus to her left, so she headed right. She walked past the table where Lewis' dad and a couple of his friends were chatting. "Yeah, we expect ol' James to be hitched up with that pretty little lady sometime real soon. I keep on telling him that he can't let this one go. She's well-off she is. She has a good salary and quite the bit of inheritance as well, I'm thinking she can afford to help her in-laws live nicely too. After all, it'd be selfish of her to keep it all to herself now, right? Besides, she probably has lots of friends in high places, my other sons will have a greater chance at snatching up other pretty rich young ladies now too." Mr. Bennet and his friends all laughed and joked around a bit more as Whitney walked away in disgust. She had truly liked James but if he was just doing as his father told him and he didn't truly love Chelsea, she would have to somehow intervene before her friend experienced any more heartbreak. It's not like this was an uncommon thing, but James had seemed so sweet and kind. _But then he's kind to everyone. Now that I think about it, he hasn't shown Chelsea any particular fondness. He has catered to her obvious show of her feelings, but he doesn't respond in kind... He never has._ Whitney drained a champagne glass in one go, not really caring if it was proper or not. She knew this was going to be a long night. Her headache came on strong and fast and she hurried over to an unoccupied corner of the room to be alone for awhile, to pop a few aspirin, and to clear her thoughts of Georgia, Lewis and poor Chelsea's sordid love life.

* * *

As Lewis went back inside he was immediately accosted by Linus, who handed him a glass of champagne. "So Lewis, I hear you're awfully taken with Miss Georgia Wickham, eh? You see, your brother James was asking about him a lot and I heard that she has told you some terrible things about our Whitney. I am not entirely sure of all of the details of the affair, I don't know the woman personally, but any tale of cruelty on Darcy's part is completely false and groundless. For, you see, Darcy was always very kind to Wickham, but she was horribly mistreated by Wickham in return. As I said, I don't know the details, but I do know that Darcy is completely blameless in this matter and that she cannot bear to even hear the girl's name mentioned, the affair affected her that deeply." Lewis patted him on the back sympathetically. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of ill-news, I know it's difficult to hear such terrible things about a person one has taken a particular liking to, but hey, women like her aren't worth your time anyway, right?"

"Excuse me Linus, but it seems to me that your assertion is about as groundless as you claim hers is. I actually _do_ know her and I think I have better grounds for judging her character than you do." Lewis' anger and indignation did not go unnoticed by Linus.

"Pardon me for interfering. I was just trying to be nice." Linus' mocking tone set Lewis on edge. He watched Linus go and cursed him under his breath.

He looked around and made eye contact with James, who was headed his way. He smiled and waited for him. "I want to hear what you have learnt about Georgia, but if your thoughts have been occupied elsewhere," Lewis looked towards Chelsea, "I certainly won't hold it against you."

James smiled and looked at his brother, "I have not forgotten Georgia, no matter how tempting the prospect may have appeared. Unfortunately, I haven't heard one good thing about her all night. Chelsea doesn't know Georgia personally, nor does she know what the nature of their falling out is, but she vouches for her friend's honesty and overall moral character. She is also convinced that Whitney treated Georgia much kindlier than she should have, and I am sorry to tell you this, that Georgia is dishonest and unreliable. It seems she was at fault and deserved any harsh treatment Whitney may have given her."

"Chelsea doesn't know Georgia personally though, right?" Lewis wasn't going to be convinced through second-hand accounts of the tale.

"The first time they met was when we were taking her for a tour within the city."

"Then the total account she gave you was what Whitney told her most likely. But, what about the inheritance?"

"Again, she doesn't know much, but apparently it was a conditional thing."

"Well, I believe that Chelsea is as sincere as ever, but since she's only heard Whitney's side of it and she doesn't know all of the details, I will keep my former opinions as they were." Lewis then led the conversation to the happier subject of Chelsea and if he was going to propose to her.

"I think I'll do it in about a year or so, I know dad wants us to get married as soon as possible, but I like taking it slow. I'm positive that she's the one though. I already feel like I've known her for years and it's only been a few months since we met." James looked so happy; Lewis smiled and almost forgot about Whitney.

"Hello, I finally found you again," Ms. Collins' cloying voice grated against Lewis' ears and he almost visibly winced when she sat down next to him and James. Unfortunately, Chelsea had also shown up at just that time to take James dancing leaving him alone with the clingy woman. She tried in vain to get him to dance with her again, but he claimed tiredness as an excuse and she vowed to talk with him and "keep him company" for the rest of the night. Her being constantly at his side deterred any other young ladies from asking him to dance and his only relief was that Charles would often come by and listen to her talk so Lewis wouldn't have to. Although, no matter how engaged she was in discussion with Charles, if he even made the slightest move to leave she was instantaneously at his side and jabbering away about something else. She even almost followed him into the bathroom, but even though she caught herself and didn't go inside, she was waiting right outside the door for him when he came out again. He ended up just staring off into space and ignoring her as best he could.

Unfortunately, Lewis' torment did not end with Ms. Collins. As his brothers got plastered on the hard liquor they had hidden in their flasks, they started singing and dancing in wildly inappropriate ways, until Mrs. Bennet reigned in their behavior, though not in a very subtle manner. Mark was busy being aloof or, if he did deign to speak, it was often to the annoyance of his listeners as opposed to their enlightenment. Lewis was all too ready to leave when Charles finally came up and offered him a ride back.

* * *

A/N: So sorry it took so long for me to update, with exams, last-minute projects and all the craziness of moving out of the dorms, I needed some rest and time to recooperate, and then when I actually did have the energy to write and update, my computer started acting up:( Arrgh. Ahh well, hope you like it. Sorry again for the wait.

Avanell- Thank you so much for consistently reviewing:) You always give me such good encouragement, thank you:)

zZFringeBelieverXx- Thank you so much for your kind review:)

Please review and let me know what you think:)


	7. A Slightly Immodest Proposal

P&P 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Pride and Prejudice

* * *

"Oh my god! What a perfect night! James is such an excellent dancer and so romantic, sweet, handsome, charming-" Chelsea started as she was interrupted by Whitney placing her hand over her mouth and smiling.

"Alright alright! I get the picture Chelsea, no need to try and wax poetic, we both know you're no good at it," Whitney was happy her friend felt so overjoyed but it also cut her like a knife. She didn't know how to even begin to bring up the subject of James' father, but she knew she didn't want to ruin this night for her friend. She would allow her a last night of happy fantasy before telling her tomorrow about what she'd overheard.

Chelsea laughed and glanced at her friend, a sly smile on her face, "I never saw you dance with Lewis, did you get scared at the last minute?" she teased gently.

"No, I actually did dance with him, just not inside. I met up with him in towards the back of the gardens and we danced together right then and there." Whitney smiled as she saw Chelsea's surprised reaction.

"What happened, come on girl. I need details, details!" Chelsea was dressed in her bright pink pajamas sitting on top of Whitney's bed in her apartment and she rocked back and forth on the mattress in anticipation. Whitney had invited her over after the party offering her a break from Linus, Steve and Larissa and to have some bonding time with just the two of them. Whitney had also figured that since she often stayed over at Chelsea's she should return the hospitality, not that she minded at all, she loved having Chelsea over. It just seemed to brighten up her apartment.

"Well, I had left the dome to get away from a particularly obnoxious woman by the name of Collins and had decided to get some fresh air. I walked to the back of the place where there was a small open space surrounded by trees, it was a quiet semi-private area far enough away from the party to seem safe to just relax and be for a while. I knew no one was around, so I just decided to dance by myself. It was so beautiful out, the bugs were singing so sweetly, and the moon was shining so brightly, I didn't entirely feel like just sitting and star-gazing, so dancing with an imaginary prince or two seemed like a good option." Whitney smiled as she remembered how tranquil it all was. She was in her typical black silk pajamas for comfort and she grabbed a pillow off her bed.

"I swear Whitney, you're the only girl I know who would ever describe the sound of cicadas and crickets as sweet singing," Whitney laughed and Chelsea went on, "By the way, out of curiosity, was it you or your imaginary prince who led the dance?"

"I led it, of course," Whiney replied nonplussed.

"Of course," Chelsea mocked. "And what did this Prince of yours look like? Maybe I know someone who looks like him…"

"Well I imagined a whole ballroom full of people and they were all wearing masks, I couldn't see their faces and they never saw mine."

"Oh? What did your mask look like?" Chelsea was anticipating something magnificent.

"A haggard old witch," Whitney smiled as Chelsea laughed in surprise.

"Why on earth were you a witch?"

"I've just always wanted to be a haggard old witch is all. They seem like great fun, especially the one from Into the Woods. It was always my dream to play that role, so I did while I was dancing in the ballroom in my mind." Whitney replied as she sat down on the floor hugging the pillow to her chest.

"…Right, and no one at the ball thought you looked strange?"

"Nope, they were all dressed as impeccably grotesquely as I was. Some were the typical boring knights in shining armor or Princes with jewels and crowns, but most of them were goblins, thieves, ghouls, rogues, headless people, faeries, cannibals, a few other witches, dragons, demons, some angels, though rare, creatures of myth, gods, anything and everything you could possibly imagine and more." Whitney sighed and leaned back against the wall, "It was the most beautiful thing I've ever imagined."

"Well, that's great and all, but what about the dance with Lewis?"Chelsea shifted impatiently.

"Well, as I was enjoying this beautiful image in my head, I heard someone enter the little clearing. I kept on dancing thinking they would probably just walk on by and ignore the crazy woman who was dancing by herself, but I didn't hear them leave so I opened my eyes to see who it was, and there was Lewis standing there staring at me as if he's not quite sure what to make of it all."

"What! He actually saw you? Wow, that must have been embarrassing. What did you do?"

"It wasn't really embarrassing; I was in need of a new dance partner, the demon I had been waltzing with had gone to get some of Mrs. Lovette's famous meat pies, so I obtained a new one." Whitney was so nonchalant when she gave her answer that Chelsea shook her head and smiled.

"Only you, Whitney… So what did he say?"

"He just said, 'yes' and we danced to the tune of Madame Guillotine," Whitney laughed at Chelsea's look of dismay.

"How can you turn a dance in the Botanical Gardens under the full moon into something completely unromantic? What is wrong with you?" Chelsea threw her pillow at her friend, "Well wait, did you actually sing the lyrics?"

"Only after he asked me what the name of the song was," Chelsea face-palmed and shook her head at the ceiling silently mouthing 'Why?' "Ugh, what happened after that? Did he run and hide?"

"No, we actually danced again, this time to the cicada's tune and he asked me about work and… a few other things and we then parted ways," Whitney really didn't want to talk about the rest of their conversation but her slight hesitation made Chelsea look up.

"'A few other things?' Did you guys get into a fight or something? What did he say?"Chelsea saw Whitney's bland business smile come over her face as she glossed it over with describing it as all being 'small talk' and nothing serious. "Come on Whit, I know you better than that."

"…He brought up Georgia and apparently she's fed him some cock and bull story about how I 'made her suffer' I believe those were the terms used," Whitney shook her head, "It's really nothing important, just a small matter of annoyance."

"What all happened between you and Georgia, again? I think you told me about it once but you've never given much detail…" Chelsea knew that her friend avoided that topic, but she thought that they should be able to talk about it after all of the years they'd known each other.

Whitney yawned and shook her head, "Maybe some other time, I'm exhausted and I have a long week up ahead. You know my Uncle Caleb has decided it's time I met his business successor, William Fitzgerald, don't you? He's going to be staying here in New York for the next couple of months to 'check up on how the east coast does business,' is how he worded it. He's been in our base in Los Angeles for the past couple years and I have a feeling business is not the only thing my uncle wants him to 'check up on.'"

"Aww, you poor soul. Is he handsome at least?"

Whitney rolled her eyes and shrugged, "How should I know? The only thing I know is his name which sounds like a bad attempt at sneezing with stick up your-"

"Alright alright! Enough, I get the point. You could at least look him up though, I'm sure there's plenty of information about him on the internet." Chelsea got excited and grabbed Whitney's lap top from her nightstand.

"You can have fun with that, I'm going to bed. I could personally care less about the fellow though; I already know there's no way in hell I'm going to end up marrying my uncle's puppet." Whitney stretched out on her floor with her pillow and a sleeping bag. Even though she had a huge apartment and a guest bedroom for when people came over, whenever it was just Chelsea and her, Chelsea always slept on her bed and she always slept on the floor next to it. The two girls liked sharing a room because it reminded them of college days. They were never quite sure how it came to be that Chelsea got the bed and Whitney got the floor, but it was just an unspoken agreement between the two that both were fine with.

"I'll tell you all about him in the morning then," Chelsea promised as she typed his name into Google. Whitney just groaned in response and fell asleep quickly.

* * *

"Be warned my dear, Ms. Collins is coming over to dinner again this evening," Mrs. Bennet smiled wryly at her son Lewis' look of annoyance and distress. "I know she's not your favorite person, but she's only going to be in New York for a few weeks more at most, and two people can't fit in her hotel room without constantly running into each other. Please put up with it, for just a little bit longer?... Besides she always provides such excellent entertainment, I'm surprised you're not as enthusiastic about the prospect as I am."

"You haven't been the one she's been clinging to or flirting with have you?" Lewis replied with annoyance evident in his voice.

"Oh, poor baby, I feel for you, you know I do," her lightly mocking tone set him a little on edge, but he also knew that she was partially sincere and that she wasn't likely to give him much more than that for comfort, "but just one or maybe two more nights of this and it's over and done. I Promise." She hugged him and winked; "Besides she might seem a little insipid, but the repressed business ladies like her are supposed to be really crazy in bed."

Lewis looked at her in shock, "Mom! Please stop!" but he couldn't help laughing with her.

"I'm just looking out for my boy, you don't want to make a decision you'll regret later based solely on some small factor like personality, right? Besides, you have a wonderful father who will gladly make the most of it," she smiled at him sardonically and he just shook his head and laughed in response. They heard a knock on their door and Mrs. Bennet looked up at him with a wicked glint in her eyes as she went to the door to welcome Ms. Collins to dine with them yet again.

As Lewis sat down at the table, Ms. Collins sat right next to him. He noticed her chair was far closer to him than necessary but he couldn't really ask her to move away because his father was giving him significant looks and indicating, if anything, he should move closer to her. He looked to his mom for help but she was so amused with the whole affair that he knew she wouldn't say anything.

Luckily, Ms. Collins started talking business with Mrs. Bennet soon after she sat down and Lewis quickly learned just how efficient Ms. Collins was. Some of her ideas were a little boring, safe, and/or conventional, but Mrs. Bennet worked with them and changed them or, if they were too dull, completely replaced them. The two of them seemed to work well together on business matters and Lewis gained a smidgeon of respect for her. Mrs. Bennet brought creativity, wit and intelligence to the table, while Ms. Collins made sure she didn't stray too far from guidelines and worked Mrs. Bennet's more far-reaching ideas into manageable and acceptable realities.

To Lewis' chagrin, as soon as they had finished with their brainstorming, Ms. Collins latched onto Lewis and became aggravating once more. Lewis grit his teeth and tried to ignore Ms. Collins as best he could. Unfortunately, she managed to get him alone in the living room after supper when his dad pointedly shooed the family to clean up the kitchen, while he told Lewis to "stay behind and entertain the guest".

"Lewis, I know I've been a bit obvious about how I feel about you, but I want to say it out loud," she took a breath and Lewis mentally braced himself, "I have fallen in love with you and would like to enter into the process of dating with you, with marriage as the ultimate end goal, of course."

Lewis sat there for a minute, shocked and at a loss for words. He had been expecting something like this, but he had never imagined her to be so straight forward about it. She continued, "My first reason for asking this is that I believe it is a good thing for me to be seen as family friendly since I work in a PR firm that deals with representing many kid and family focused businesses. It would be a good thing for them to see that I have a family of my own and that I have some personal experience with that dynamic. Secondly, I believe that being married with you would make me very happy. And last, but perhaps, not least, one of my most important clients wishes to see me settled down and married, he believes it will lend stability to my life to have a man there to support me. Of course this union would not be without its advantages for you. My work as a PR agent could really be of good help to your company, and the various connections with powerful higher-ups that I have due to the nature of my job would also be of great service to you. I guess nothing's left but to assure you that I truly do like you and hold a very high affection for you. Of course, when we get married-" Now was the right time to interrupt.

"Wait, wait, wait just a second here. 'When we get married'? I haven't even given you my answer yet as to whether or not I'll even consider dating you, much less marrying you. Let me make it clear before you go any further that, though I am sorry and don't wish to hurt your feelings, I do not want to date or marry you." Lewis got up and made to leave, but Ms. Collins called out to him.

"Wait, I know that, to some men, it seems cool to play 'hard to get' and that you often reject the advances of girls you plan to secretly accept, so I will not give up on you."

"What? I thought I had been perfectly clear to you in my response. I am not so cruel as to play with your feelings nor am I dumb enough to risk any happiness I might be seeking on some hope of a second chance. I'm really sorry that I can't reciprocate your feelings, but I am also positive that you could not make me happy and that I am the last man in the world who could make you happy." He turned to leave once more when he felt her hand on his arm.

"Lewis, let me be frank with you. It is very unlikely that you will get another offer as good as mine in respects to wealth, position and the ability to help your business. I know you may not care much for me now, and, I must admit, I know very little about you, but I am convinced we would make good partners. You are intelligent, polite, well-spoken and a good man, and what I am looking for. A few dates would take up precious little of your time and we could then decide whether or not this would work out. I would advise you not to be irrational about this. This is a mutually beneficial offer, at least think about it." Her voice was perfectly serious and she made sound like some sort of transaction was taking place.

"Why does this sound more like a business deal than a relationship?" He was genuinely interested in her answer.

"Because it is a business deal on some level. I know a lot of people place much interest in romance and their version of what is called 'true love', but I think that if two people can respect each other and get along well, while being in a mutually beneficial relationship, then feelings and emotions are rather superfluous. Besides, I am getting older and I do believe that if I am to marry, I should do it sooner rather than later, both for the sake of my kids and my future husband. Whether or not I 'love' the man is close to being irrelevant." Her matter-of-fact tone made her statement that much more shocking to Lewis.

"But didn't you just say you were 'in love' with me?"

"...Well, yes, but being perfectly honest with you, it is sometimes necessary to say such things to get desired results. Although, since that tactic wasn't working out well, I thought it best to be straightforward with you. I genuinely do like you, Lewis. I may not be 'in love' in the traditional sense, but I'm as 'in love' as I probably ever will be."

"Well, as I said before, I'm terribly sorry and I wish you no ill will, but I cannot date you. Besides, I'm already dating someone else. Please excuse me." He gently pushed past her and walked through the door to the living room where his father looked up at him with a hopeful expression. He just shook his head and walked up to his room to gather a few of his things to take back to his apartment. His father ran into the kitchen to see Ms. Collins collecting her coat and purse and heading for the door. He tried to persuade her to stay, while he "talked some sense" into his son, but she didn't really want to press the matter any further if he was truly against it. She soon left and Lewis left right afterwards, not wanting to hear his father rant and rave. His mother hugged him on the way out and gave him a thumbs up in support. As he was driving home he took out his cell to call Georgia and plan their next date.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's been so long since an update, I've been a lot busier than I thought I'd be this summer.

FringeBeliever: Thank you so much! and so sorry I was so late in updating. I should be better now.

Avanell: Thanks:)


	8. Childhood Friendship?

P&P8

Disclaimer: Don't own P&P

* * *

Lewis had invited Georgia over to dinner with his family to introduce them to each other. Only James had met her previously and he had wanted to know what the rest of the family thought about her. When the beautiful busty blond walked through the door, Lyle's jaw visibly dropped and Kent couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. Lewis rolled his eyes and then introduced her to them as his girlfriend, strongly emphasizing "my girlfriend." Kent looked away a little embarrassed, but Lyle just continued to stare unabashedly at her for most of the evening, though he eventually realized he actually had to use his jaw to chew. Mrs. Bennet, gave her an unimpressed once over and would have immediately dismissed her, had she not been with Lewis. Mrs. Bennet figured that there had to be some substance to her otherwise her favorite son wouldn't go out with her. At least, that's what she hoped.

After Georgia had been introduced they sat down to dinner and Georgia easily carried the conversation. She wasn't socially awkward like Ms. Collins, she knew how to make the conversation interesting and how to hold their attention. She seemed to have a broad, but not necessarily deep range of knowledge. She could blithely jump from one topic to the next, but when Mrs. Bennet would try to question her further and get more solid information she would often smoothly switch the topic without too much effort. Mrs. Bennet picked up on her tactics very quickly and soon stopped trying to delve too deep, until they reached the topic of modern medicine, when Georgia became all too ready to show off her knowledge, or when the topic of Darcy came up. Mrs. Bennet noticed just how much Georgia loved to play the noble victim whenever the subject of Darcy appeared, which it did surprisingly often. It almost always came up indirectly due to something Georgia said or talked about, but the others didn't quite seem to notice that. Georgia made it seem as if the conversation had naturally happened upon the subject of the woman. For instance, she might mention something about a boyfriend with too much pride, when she knew Lewis wouldn't pass up on a chance to take a sarcastic dig at Darcy. Or she might casually mention work and ask Lewis how advertising ploys that publishing companies used to get their books marketed affected his job, and since Darcy and Dubourgh Publishing Co. was one of the biggest publishing companies out there, it was inevitably brought up, along with the woman who just happened to work there.

It was amusing to Mrs. Bennet to watch how well Georgia played on the others sympathies and how seamlessly she directed the conversation to her favor. Mrs. Bennet was particularly amused when Georgia told the tales and pretended to not want their sympathy. Georgia acted so well when she said she still 'deeply respected the Darcy name' and it 'sickened her to have to say these things', when in reality if even half of what she claimed was true of her "reluctance" she wouldn't be so desperate to tell the stories in the first place, or give such vivid detail. Mrs. Bennet had a feeling that Georgia knew exactly what she was doing to both deprecate Darcy and to elevate herself in the eyes of her listeners. Mrs. Bennet wouldn't have been surprised had there been an actual script that she had read and memorized, doctoring it as needed, the tales felt so rehearsed. Of course, the six men at the table didn't notice a thing. Her stories weren't too pat and perfect to them. To them, she seemed like a beautiful rose that had been crushed by the evil witch. James may not have been so quick to believe the bad-mouthing of Darcy, but he also believed in Georgia's innocence as much as the rest. With how cunning and intelligent Georgia appeared to Mrs. Bennet, she highly doubted that Georgia would just sit back and be the victim as she claimed, if indeed she was a victim at all. Mrs. Bennet knew of Darcy's infamous pride and rude character, in no small part due to Lewis, but she also knew that some of the clients she prosecuted had similar attitudes, but were in fact more ethical than their accusers. She had learned never to judge by first impressions alone the hard way. It didn't mean she didn't do it, but she knew better than to write off a busty blonde as being stupidly innocent, or to condemn someone who's rough around the edges, solely because somebody else told her to. She knew liars, manipulators, and smooth talkers inside and out and she had a feeling that Georgia was quite familiar with all three as well.

Mrs. Bennet was happy to note that Lewis didn't stare at her in wonder-lust the way her two youngest sons, and even her husband, occasionally did. She also noticed that he paid more attention to Georgia when she was talking about her life, interests, and dreams as opposed to the juicy gossip she passed around. Mrs. Bennet gave Georgia credit for being genuinely intelligent and interesting, but she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of Lewis dating such a woman. She could easily understand why he found her so interesting to talk to, but there was something about her that just didn't sit right with Mrs. Bennet. Georgia reminded her of some of the better defense lawyers she had come across who knew how to play the jury and the courtroom like finely tuned instruments. _Oh well, if she ends up a flake at least he'll have learned a lesson from it. Besides, she's even more entertaining than the Collins woman._

* * *

Lewis looked up at his mom several times during the dinner to gauge her reaction to Georgia, but her expression didn't change much from the polite façade and occasionally signs of mild amusement from time to time. He genuinely valued her opinion about people in general and he was praying that Georgia made a good impression on her. He had a feeling she had less interest in Georgia's life story and more in the knowledge she could share about what she had studied to prepare for med school, but he also thought that surely his mother could understand the hardships that Georgia went through. Of course the complete lack of emotion in her face didn't bode well towards a sympathetic view on her end.

* * *

After Georgia left, Lewis' mom walked up to him and they both entered her quiet library. Lewis looked at her face again to see if he could glean any information, but she remained stoic and he realized she was going to wait for him to start. He decided being straightforward was probably the best tactic. "So, what do think of Georgia?"

Mrs. Bennet sat down and relaxed in her favorite reading chair, "She's certainly very attractive."

Lewis gave her a slightly exasperated sigh, "You know what I mean…"

Mrs. Bennet just looked up at him for a second before responding, "I can easily understand why you're interested in her."

"What's up with the vague responses? Why not just tell me directly whether or not you like her?" Lewis was starting to get frustrated; he couldn't understand why she wasn't being as blunt and tactless as usual if she didn't like her, and if she did, then why not say so?

"Do you really need my opinion to tell you whether or not you should date a girl?"

"No, but I would like to hear it nonetheless. You usually have a pretty accurate judgment in regards to other people," he looked her in the eye, "so, what did you think of her?"

Mrs. Bennet stared at him for a while before asking, "You want my honest opinion of the girl?" Lewis nodded his head, but stayed silent. She looked a bit ambivalent before answering, "Alright, I think you should watch your back and be extremely careful about how much trust you put in her. Don't give her any sensitive information about yourself and especially not about our family, or we'll both end up regretting it later. I'm only telling you this because you're a favorite of mine, and I don't really want to see you get played. I would let you learn you're lesson on your own, normally, but you said you wanted my honest opinion, so there it is."

Lewis stared at her in shock for a while before nodding once more and leaving the room. Mrs. Bennet watched the door he closed for a few minutes, before sighing and picking up her favorite book and settling down into her chair for a few hours.

* * *

Lewis closed the door as he entered his room in the Bennet household. He had decided to stay the night and just head to work from home the next morning. He always kept toiletries and a few spare sets of clothing at his parents' house for times like these. His mind wouldn't settle down about what his mother had just told him. He was fighting a war within his brain and it was exhausting. As he lay down on his bed and stared up at his ceiling he reassessed everything that he knew about Georgia, but he just couldn't see her being as crafty as his mother accused her of being. Of course, he knew his mom was wary of smooth talkers and pretty women claiming innocence, but Georgia was different. She had been through so much; it would be difficult for his mother to know and comprehend the full extent of her personality and story after one dinner. Georgia just happened to be a very beautiful woman with a gift for conversation, that's all. As he ran through his arguments and convinced himself of her innocence once more, his tired brain finally forced slumber upon him and he slept a dreamless sleep.

* * *

As Whitney woke up the next morning to Chelsea's constant poking, she slapped her hand away and yawned as she lazily stretched her back. "Why'd you have to wake me up? The weekends are the only times I have to sleep in," Whitney sighed and half-heartedly threw a pillow at her friend. Chelsea caught the pillow and chose to ignore the question.

"Look at this, the William Fitzgerald guy is really good-looking!" She turned the computer so Whitney could see the man. She paused for a second as she studied his face and slowly shook her head in disbelief. "What is it Whit? You know this guy?"

Whitney looked up at Chelsea and sighed, "He's just an old acquaintance of mine, though I have every confidence it is not a coincidence that he is the man my uncle is grooming to be my future husband. He must have changed his name though, probably to make it sound more 'official' or something."

"How do you know him?"

"It's a long story, and not a very interesting one at that. We just used to hang out when we were kids, that's all…" Whitney looked at her watch and saw it was 11:30, "Want to go out to lunch before I go and face the lions' den?"

"What? You have to go to work today too?" Chelsea stared at her friend in disapproval.

"Yes, today is the odious day that I have to face Mr. William Fitzgerald," Chelsea's eyes widened in surprise.

"I thought that was going to be Monday," she questioned.

"No, Monday's definitely a work day and I'll be needed. My uncle decided to move the meeting up to Saturday since I'm not necessarily needed on the weekends as much. He's hoping we'll spend some 'bonding time' after today's meeting no doubt. This is partially why I didn't want to wake up this morning, I was hoping I could claim the excuse of sleeping through the whole thing and put off this nasty affair for a bit longer." Whitney sighed as she walked into her bathroom to take a quick shower.

"Well, good luck my friend. And at least give the fellow a chance, it would be a sad thing for him to waste his good looks on being single," Chelsea smiled as Whitney walked out in the most boring and lifeless suit she could find. "But I have a feeling you probably don't care about that, do you?"

"Nope." Whitney waited for Chelsea to get dressed and ready, and they both went out to lunch before Whitney left to attend her meeting at 1:00.

* * *

Whitney walked into the conference room twenty minutes early to set up her presentation and find a bit of quiet before everything started. She sat down at one of the chairs and rested her head in her hands for a few minutes.

"Well, well, well, is that the famous almighty workaholic Miss Whitney Darcy taking a rest?" a low and genial voice came from the door.

Whitney looked up and saw William Fitzgerald leaning on the door frame. He was tall, dark and handsome and his aura of confidence came off him in waves. The picture on the computer hadn't really done him justice. His dark brown hair and his tanned skin contrasted beautifully with his starch white business shirt under his black suit. Whitney looked at him nonplussed and got up to shake his hand. "Welcome to New York City Mr. Fitzgerald, I hope you'll enjoy you're stay. If you'll excuse me, I need to visit the washroom before the meeting."

"Whoa, is that any way to greet an old friend? Come on, we've known each other for years, why so cold?" He moved to hug her, but she backed away, and held up her hand to stop him.

"Please refrain from such familiarity in the office Mr. Fitzgerald, I would prefer to keep this as professional as possible. Now, if you would please excuse me." Fitzgerald gave her a once over and noticed by her stance and attitude that she was entirely serious. He slowly moved aside and allowed her to pass. When she returned, the meeting was ready to start and he couldn't really say anything until after it ended. He knew she had timed it that way and he couldn't help but feel a little bit irritated. This was not going how he had planned it, at all. Maybe she really was as bad as he'd heard, but surely she wouldn't be so cold to him. They'd been more than best friends when they were younger and she couldn't just completely ignore that, right?

* * *

After the meeting was over and done Whitney's colleagues left, and she cleaned up. She started to head out herself, when Fitzgerald blocked the doorway. She looked up at him, having half-way expected it and calmly waited for him to start.

"Listen, Whit, I know we haven't seen each other in a while and that we've both changed, so you were right to push me away, but can we at least be civil friends?" He was one of the few men in her office that could actually look down at her, though not very far, but still he had held himself at his full height as he asked. Whitney wasn't sure whether he was trying to be intimidating or sexy, but she imagined it was a mixed effort for both. William knew he looked good, he wasn't necessarily conceited or too arrogant about it, it was just something he knew and made use of when it seemed to be able to work in his favor.

She smiled her blandest smile, "Of course we can, Billy, I wouldn't have it _any_ other way." She figured if he was going to be informal she was going to make it an equal thing.

William almost flinched when he realized the implications of what she said. _Apparently she_ can_ be this cold, even to me. What happened?_ "Can we catch up over coffee? We can discuss work and catch up at the same time, kill two birds with one stone, ya know? All for the sake of efficiency, right?" His last words were slightly sarcastic, but she also knew that she'd have to put up with something like this sooner or later, and she figured she might as well get it over with.

"Very well then, how about the Starbucks on the corner of the block?"

"Sounds good to me," William was surprised she wasn't resisting this more. After the cold reception he'd received he expected her to fight this a lot more or react or something. The fact that she taking this all in stride, as if he were nothing out of the ordinary or some distant business partner to discuss work with, irritated him even more. But if she could play at being nonchalant so could he. But then again, if he just brushed her off in the same way, no doubt she'd get what she wanted and he would be left at ground zero. _It appears I'll have to let go of a little pride to actually get anywhere._ _Damn, she's more intelligent than I gave her credit for, but then again, I always underestimated her when I was younger too. I guess I should have learned my lesson by now, huh?_

He followed her out of the building and held open the door for her as she left the building. "You should probably know that chivalry for the sake of ingratiation doesn't exactly work as well as you'd think," she smirked as she walked down the block.

"What happened to you? You used to be so kind and protective of everyone else and now…now-"

"I'm the man-eating bitch and ice queen of publishing?" She glanced at him and saw him nod in response.

"Well…yeah, I couldn't have put it better myself really, except for maybe throwing in a Darth Vader reference, but you may have him beat." He smiled trying to lighten her up but she didn't spare him a glance or even begin to crack a smile.

"Listen Billy, I'm going to be as straightforward as I possibly can here. I'm not naive and I know that Uncle wants us to marry and join the two halves of the company when I get to be the CEO, which should happen in the next few years or so if things keep on at this pace. But let me tell you right here and now, that there is no way that I will ever allow that marriage to take place." She opened the door for him as they reached the Starbucks, and he couldn't help the crooked grin that crept across his features as he thanked her and walked inside. They ordered their coffee and sat down at a table back in the corner of the little shop so they could have a semblance of privacy.

William waited for awhile before finally putting down his latte and looking her in the eye. "I can understand if you feel the need to rebel against your uncle, but you also have to think about the business as well-"

"You honestly think that I would jeopardize or harm my mother's company in any way, just because of some selfish and immature need to rebel? The reason why I'm turning you down is for the sake of the company. You know that if we got married there would be certain things expected of us from the public and PR, that I truly believe would hinder this company's productivity, much more so than if we were to marry someone unrelated or to stay single. I will be much freer to act as I wish without having to be under the thumb with my uncle's monkey puppet-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoever said I was his puppet?" He objected to being referred to as a simple puppet, even if it was halfway true.

"We both know you wouldn't be where you are today if it wasn't for him, and the fact that you changed your name from the unpronounceable Wojciechowska, which you used to love to say, to his version of a "proper" business name like Fitzgerald isn't proof of your sold soul?"

"Oh come on-"

"Besides, that's not the only reason I'm against it. You know we would be expected to be together for at least some part of the year or else the company might get negative PR about it's CEOs cheating on each other, and that would prevent us from always being able to be where we were most needed. You and I have different strengths and different parts of this company will need us, you know this. That's why you work better in the more relaxed atmosphere of California and I work here in New York City. You and I are both suited to completely different ways of working with people. I would not be happy working with you in California nor would you be happy working with me here especially since we have connections in our perspective homes. Our mental health is important to helping us be much more efficient and effective as you know well. We would be extremely stressed from dealing with work at work and at home, even if we were to take a vacation we could never truly escape from the job, and the paparazzi circus would be a nightmare to deal with for both of us since both of us live rather public lives. However, if you marry a girl who isn't connected to all this you would have some right to claim privacy for her sake, you wouldn't deal with work 24/7, and you can still stay or go as your needed and just take her with you or leave her at home, whatever she chooses." Whitney took a sip of her coffee and looked like she was about to continue for another two hours on precisely why he shouldn't marry her, when he raised up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Alright, alright I get it. I don't know how long it took you to gather up the rest of your arguments for your speech, but I trust they're as sound and secure as the rest of it." He looked at her and sighed. "But what about love?"

Whitney cocked her head to the side and looked slightly confused, "What does love have to do with anything? We're talking about marriage here. This has nothing to do with love."

William shook his head, "Of course it does. Do you honestly think I'd be willing to marry a woman I didn't fall in love with?"

Whitney looked at him with widened eyes, "You actually believe in love?"

"You're looking at me like I claimed the Easter Bunny exists, of course I believe in love, that's not so strange is it?" He was surprised by her reaction as he saw her laugh for the first time that day.

"I can't believe it, a genuinely intelligent person claiming to believe in the stuff of fairytales. I suppose you believe in 'happily ever afters' and fairy god-mothers as well, eh? Honestly, attributing a basic biological need to some sort of destined romance is sort of ridiculous don't you think? Men and women 'need' each other to reproduce, and society places values on monogamy, solely to provide a healthy stable home for the child so it will hopefully, one day grow into a productive worker that contributes to the economy and the work force. All of the books and movies idealizing 'romance' and 'love' serve to strengthen this ideal and people get too carried away by their emotions to realize just how willingly they're giving into Biopower's pull for productive reproductivity." She smiled at him, reminiscent of how a kindergarten teacher would smile at a child who claimed to believe in Santa Clause.

William stared at her for a second before asking, "Honestly what happened to you, Whit? You were never this cynical when I knew you. You were the girl who dreamed of saving the world and fighting dragons. You used to have the biggest imagination out of anyone I knew, and you were the most optimistic of all of us. You believed in the basic good of humanity and gave many people second chances that nobody else would even consider giving any chance to to begin with. Now, you just tear people down without a second thought and you don't give _anyone_ a single chance. Even after your own mother died, you were the one who we looked to for strength and comfort; you were always there for us no matter how hard it must have been for you. What could have possibly changed you this much?"

Whitney looked at him, her expression the perfect mask of indifference, "People grow up Billy, It would be stranger to you if you found me the exact same way I was when I was a girl, would it not?"

William took a last swig of his coffee before standing up and looking down at her, "Maybe, but at least I wouldn't feel so disappointed." William grabbed his jacket, "Perhaps you were right about this whole marriage thing. Besides, the woman I fell in love with no longer exists anyway. I think it'd be best for us to remain, as you wished, civil friends, or better yet, merely civil business partners will be fine for me." William turned around and walked away. As Whitney stared after him she put her head in hand and reached into her purse for some Aspirin, she felt another headache coming on.

* * *

A/N: Uber sorry for the length in updates, everything's sort of crazy:) Please review and let me know what you think. constructive criticism is welcome and I always love finding ways to improve my writing:)

Thanks Avanell:)


End file.
